Perilous Journey
by sbmcneil
Summary: During Christmas at Grimmauld Place, Harry and Ginny realize they can help each other overcome the memories of their past. Watching them, Sirius finds the courage to forgive himself for his past mistakes and start living again. Umbridge, however has other plans. She expels the couple, starting them on a very perilous journey. *Mentions of child abuse and alcohol/substance use*
1. Chapter 1 A Lion's Courage

**A/N: This is actually the first story I started writing, but it has taken a while to iron out the kinks in the story. A big thanks goes out to my beta Ministry Malcontent for all of his hard work. He has definitely improved my writing and put up with my indecision over the past year or so while I have tried to figure out the direction of the story. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.  
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* * *

_**December 20, 1995 – January 12, 1996**_

Harry hesitated outside the door to the room where Ginny and Hermione were staying. He knew he had upset Ginny and needed to talk to her, so gathering up his Gryffindor courage he knocked on the door.

"Ginny?" Harry called out softly.

"Come in," came the quiet reply from within.

Harry opened the door, like most of the rooms in Grimmauld Place, the girls' room was rather dark and gloomy. Two twin beds were set up on either side of the room with a small nightstand next to each bed. Harry noticed with amusement that each girl had managed to put their own stamp on the room. Hermione's side of the room was neat and organized, a few books were stacked neatly on the nightstand and her trunk was closed and stored neatly at the end of her bed. Crookshanks was curled up neatly on the centre of her bed. Ginny's side of the room was much less organized. Her bed was not made as neatly as Hermione's was and her trunk stood open at the end of her bed revealing a jumbled collection of clothes and books.

Ginny was sitting in the centre of her bed with a paperback in her hand. She smiled when she saw Harry. However he noticed it wasn't her normal enthusiastic smile, but more like a less happy copy. "Come on in."

Looking around for a place to sit, Harry sat on the floor leaning up against Hermione's bed. Ginny watched him patiently as she leaned back against the wall with her legs drawn up in front of her.

"Ginny, I want to thank you for what you did," Harry began uncomfortably. He looked her in the eyes while he thanked her, but then dropped his gaze to the floor. "I…I feel like a complete prat for having…forgotten…It's not that I forgot exactly…I panicked. When I saw your father getting bitten by the snake, it felt like I was the snake. And then in Dumbledore's office…I felt…I don't know... almost like I wanted to bite him and then when I heard Moody say I was being possessed it just seemed like that must be what was happening. I didn't think…I wasn't thinking clearly enough to think about asking you what it was like being possessed by Voldemort. I'm sorry."

He finally gained the courage to look back up at Ginny and he was horrified to see she had tears in her eyes. Ginny wiped her eyes hastily as Harry looked up at her, "Harry, I won't deny that what you said hurt. I…I thought we were becoming friends and for you to forget…"

As Ginny trailed off, Harry got up on his knees in front of Ginny's bed. "Ginny, we are friends. I…I guess I don't really associate you with the Chamber anymore. I'm a rather horrible friend now that I think about it. I should have asked you more how you were doing. I thought about you all that summer. Did I ever tell you that?"

Ginny shook her head wordlessly. Harry continued, "Yeah, I even asked Ron how you were doing in one letter. He…he just kind of blew off the question and I didn't ask again. I'm sorry. I should have written to you directly."

Leaning forward Ginny put her fingers over his mouth. "It's okay, Harry. I…I was so embarrassed by what I had done, I probably wouldn't have responded well to a letter from you. I'm just glad that you thought about me."

As Harry sat back down Ginny leaned back against the wall. Harry laced his fingers together over his knees and watched Ginny for a moment before he asked, "Do you still have nightmares?"

"Not as bad as that first summer, but I do get them from time to time," Ginny replied. "That first summer was horrible, I would dream that I had killed Hermione or that you were killed when you came down to the Chamber, or the worst was when you came down and decided that I wasn't worth saving so you left me there to die."

Harry listened sombrely as Ginny recounted her nightmares, he couldn't believe he'd never thought to ask about them before. _Why had he been so self - centred that he hadn't even taken the time to ask her how she was dealing with things?_

"Ginny," Harry said, "you know that I would never have done that, right? I have done things that I regret, but going down into the Chamber to get you is not one of them."

Ginny nodded with her eyes bright. Harry continued, "If you have any nightmares while I'm here, just come wake me up. I don't sleep so well anyhow. I have nightmares about…the graveyard and I'm getting this weird dream I don't understand. So if you have a nightmare and you want company, come get me."

Harry stood up as he heard Ron yelling his name. He walked over to Ginny and gave her a sincere, but slightly awkward hug. "I better go see what Ron wants. Are you okay?"

Ginny smiled much more sincerely this time. "I'm good, Harry. I'm just going to read for a bit."

* * *

Ginny woke with a start and bit back a scream. Taking a deep breath to try to slow her racing heart, she looked about the room and realized that she was in her room at Grimmauld Place. Ginny sank back into the pillow as she replayed the last bit of the dream in her mind. Harry had talked to Riddle and laughed at the nonsense she written about him in her diary. He had looked at Riddle and told him that he wasn't going to stay and risk his life for such a silly little girl.

Ginny sat up abruptly to dispel the remnants of the dream. Peering at the clock she groaned as she realized it was only 2:30 in the morning. She knew from experience that there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Ginny bit her lip as she thought of Harry's offer of two days ago. Part of her never wanted to face him again, but part of her craved company.

The summer after her first year she had woken nightly with nightmares. Sometimes her parents or one of her brothers would hear her and come to comfort her. While it was reassuring that they still wanted her around, inevitably someone would ask what had happened. She had still never told anyone the whole story. She knew instinctively that Harry would not ask her any questions. Plus there was the added benefit that he had actually been there for the end so he knew what happened.

Slipping out of her bed, Ginny pulled on her faded yellow dressing gown and silently climbed the stairs to the room Harry and Ron were sharing. After hesitating outside the door, Ginny could hear noises coming from inside the bedroom. Pushing open the door, Ginny could see Harry tossing and turning in bed. Glancing over she saw her brother sound asleep. Ginny stood indecisively at the door for a moment before she tiptoed into the room.

"Harry," she whispered.

Harry didn't wake, so Ginny sat down on the edge of his bed and put her hand on his shoulder. "Harry."

His emerald green eyes flew open, a momentary panic showed in them before he realized who was sitting on his bed. "Ginny. Are you okay?"

She waited patiently while he sat up and reached for his glasses. His smile somehow warmed her and made her feel a bit better. He was searching her face and Ginny knew he could tell she'd woken from a nightmare. "Let's go down to the kitchen," Harry whispered.

Ginny nodded and stood up. Harry followed quickly grabbing his dressing gown from the end of his bed.

The two teens snuck down into the basement kitchen. This was their favourite room in the house. This was the least gloomy place in the house. Harry lit the candles on the counter while Ginny stirred up the fire that had been smouldering in the large stone fireplace.

Harry reached into the pantry and grabbed two butterbeers. They sat at the table in companionable silence watching the fire. Ginny watched Harry carefully. He didn't seem to be upset at being woken up at 2:30 in the morning. He also wasn't pushing her to talk. For some reason, this made her want to talk.

Clearing her throat slightly, Ginny looked up at Harry. He smiled over at her and as though he'd been waiting for a sign from her asked, "Bad nightmare?"

A shudder ran through her as she remembered the bone-chilling cold of the Chamber of Secrets and the horror as her supposed friend came out of the diary. "Yeah, I was back in the Chamber and…he was telling me how everyone would hate me for what I'd done and I was weak and spineless and he looked forward to killing you."

Ginny was not even aware of the tears streaming down her face as she shared her nightmare. Harry watched in silence as Ginny shared her dream, to his horror she started crying. For some reason, unlike when Cho cried, Harry seemed to know what to do when Ginny cried. He dug into his dressing gown pocket and came up with a crumpled but clean handkerchief. He handed her the handkerchief.

"Gin, Riddle said a lot of things, but I hope you realize most of them weren't true. To have resisted him for as long as you did, that takes an amazing amount of strength and courage."

Taking the handkerchief from him, Ginny wiped her eyes. "You think I'm strong? I was so scared. I kept thinking the Sorting Hat had made a mistake by putting me in Gryffindor, that I wasn't brave enough or strong enough to be a true Gryffindor."

Harry chuckled softly. Ginny's eyes flew up to his face and he realized how bad that must look. "I'm only laughing because I've thought the same thing about myself. Ginny, you are definitely a Gryffindor. I never told anyone this, but the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. Ron and Hagrid had told me such horrible things about Slytherin, so I begged the hat not to put me there."

Ginny was looking at him with astonishment written all over her face. "Slytherin? But you are so…you are so good and so brave…Are you putting me on?"

"No," Harry replied, "it said I could do great things in Slytherin, but I was horrified at the idea. I didn't feel like I truly belonged in Gryffindor until after the Chamber of Secrets. Remember the sword?"

Ginny nodded and Harry continued, "That was Gryffindor's sword. Professor Dumbledore told me it would take a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the Sorting Hat."

"Harry, how did you end up in the Chamber of Secrets? I've never really heard the full story. Everyone always stopped talking about it when I entered the room."

"You know I'm a Parselmouth, right?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. "That news flew through the school like wildfire."

"I'm sure it did," Harry made a face before continuing. "I could hear the Basilisk as it moved through the school. It would say things like 'Kill' and it just sounded so evil. I didn't realize I was hearing Parseltongue, it sounded like it was speaking English to me. That's how I ended up so near the victims when they were found, I was following the Basilisk."

"Hermione, Ron and I were sure that Malfoy was in on it somehow, so Hermione came up with a plan to confront him. She brewed Polyjuice Potion and we used it to sneak into the Slytherin common room."

"You did what?"

Harry and Ginny both jumped at the new voice from the doorway. Sirius stood there looking at his godson in astonishment.

"Sirius," Harry said.

"What are you two doing down here?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Harry as he joined them at the table.

Exchanging a glance with Ginny, Harry replied, "Nightmares."

Sirius gave them a tired half smile, "Me too. Please don't let me interrupt your story."

Harry laughed. "Anyhow, Ron and I used the Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Crabbe and Goyle. It was very weird being in the Slytherin common room and being nice to Malfoy. It turned out to be kind of a waste as he didn't know anything. The only thing we found out was the Chamber had been opened before."

Harry told Ginny and Sirius about finding the diary and Riddle showing him the capture of Hagrid as the culprit behind the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny giggled as Harry told them about their trip into the Acromantulas' lair.

"I'm sorry, I know it isn't funny," she gasped, "but I just keep thinking of poor Ron's face as he's walking into all of these giant spiders."

Harry laughed. "It sounds funny, but trust me it was not." Harry told the other two how they figured out what the creature was and where it lived. He started to tell them about Lockhart when Sirius interrupted.

"Who is Lockhart?"

Harry jumped; he'd forgotten Sirius was there. "He was our useless Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. We got to his office and he was packing to leave. That's when he confessed that he'd not done half on what was in his books. He just stole other people's stories and Obliviated them so them wouldn't complain."

"I never liked him," Ginny said. "I think I always felt he should have known what was going on or be able to figure it out."

"He had no clue," Harry said slightly bitterly. "I disarmed him and we went into Myrtle's bathroom and found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

Ginny shivered slightly as Harry told them about Ron's wand causing the cave in and Harry journeying on to the Chamber alone. Ginny didn't even notice when Harry's hand came down on top of hers and he held her hand while telling them of his confrontation with Riddle.

"When he called the Basilisk, I thought I was a goner. It was huge. I don't know what would have happened if Fawkes hadn't come along," Harry explained.

"Fawkes?" Ginny asked.

"Dumbledore's Phoenix," Harry replied. "He came and brought me the Sorting Hat and through that Gryffindor's sword. I still am not sure how I killed the Basilisk. It was just luck that I was able to stab it through the roof of its mouth. I felt the stab of the fang just as I realized I had killed it. I pulled the sword out and started towards you…I felt so dizzy. Basilisk venom works really fast. I kind of collapsed next to you and Fawkes came over and cried onto my wound healing it."

Subconsciously Harry rubbed the spot on his arm where the Basilisk had bitten him years earlier. "Riddle became angry when he realized I wasn't going to die. Fawkes swooped over and grabbed the diary from you and somehow I knew what to do. I grabbed the Basilisk fang and stabbed the diary. Riddle just…I don't know... he screamed and disappeared. That's when you woke up."

Sirius listened to Harry's story in growing astonishment. He had heard bits and pieces of what his godson had been through, but hearing it in Harry's own words made it so much more real. He watched the young couple sitting at the table. He didn't think they even realized he was still there. In some ways he felt like he was intruding on something very personal.

"Thank you," Ginny said simply when Harry finished. "I don't think I ever thanked you for saving my life."

Harry blushed, "You're welcome."

Watching them Sirius made up his mind, with a wave of his wand he summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey and three glasses. Blue-white flames played around the inside of the bottle and as Sirius opened the bottle, a small flame shot out. The teens looked up in astonishment as he poured them each a glass.

"Have either of you ever had Firewhiskey?" he asked.

They both shook their head and Sirius laughed slightly, "It burns a little going down."

Harry looked at the still smoking liquid and back up at his godfather. He took a drink and promptly started coughing as he felt his face turning red. Sirius laughed as he tossed back his own glass. Ginny stared at her glass before she took a generous gulp of the whiskey. Like Harry, she started coughing and spluttering a bit, but she bravely took another sip.

"You know, I had my first drink with your dad," Sirius told Harry.

"Really?"

Sirius nodded. "We were sixteen. I had just run away from this place and I showed up at your grandparents' place. Prongs and I broke into your granddad's stash of whiskey."

He laughed as he remembered. "I thought your grandmother was going to kill us."

The teens both laughed as they finished their Firewhiskey. As Sirius poured out another round, Ginny asked, "Why do you call Harry's father Prongs?"

Sirius glanced over at Harry. "She doesn't know?"

Harry looked confused. "I thought she did…but I guess not."

Impatiently Ginny looked from one to the other before Sirius took up the tale. "James Potter and I became best friends on our first ride on the Hogwarts Express. I was disappointed to hear him talk about Gryffindor because my whole family had been in Slytherin so I just assumed that's where I would go as well. I couldn't believe it when the Sorting Hat yelled out Gryffindor. My parents were furious when they found out. Anyhow, we soon met two of the other boys in our year: Peter Pettigrew and Remus. Peter was…it's hard to think about it, but he was always so eager to please. He wasn't very good at magic or good at his studies, but he always tagged along with me and James. Remus was quiet and kept to himself, but we soon all became friends. It was towards the end of our first year when James realized Remus always became 'ill' around the full moon."

Sirius took a drink before continuing, "Over the summer, James did some research and we were convinced that Remus was a werewolf. We confronted him at the beginning of our second year. While doing his research, James found out that animals are not in any danger from a werewolf. So James and I came up with the plan to become animagi to keep Remus company during the full moon. Our nicknames come from our animagus forms. I'm a dog, so James dubbed me Padfoot. Peter is a rat, so he became Wormtail. James became a stag so we named him Prongs."

Harry nodded. "That's why my Patronus is a stag."

"Really? Can I see?" Sirius asked eagerly.

Laughing, Harry called up his Patronus. A large silvery stag cantered across the kitchen before coming back to stand next to them. Sirius stared at it in amazement. "It really does look like Prongs."

Ginny stared in amazement at the silvery stag before turning to Harry. "Are you going to teach us to do that?"

Glancing uncertainly at Sirius Harry answered, "I'm planning to in the spring."

As Prongs faded away Harry turned to Ginny. "Do you know about Scabbers?"

"Ron's rat? Only that he died the end of my second year," Ginny replied.

Sirius let out a harsh barking laugh. "Died? Unfortunately not. He's the reason I'm stuck in this bloody house. I went to prison for killing the damn rat, but he's still alive."

Looking from one to the other Ginny quickly put the pieces together and gasped, "Scabbers is Wormtail?"

Harry nodded. "That's why Sirius escaped from Azkaban. He saw that picture of your family in Egypt and recognized Wormtail because he is missing a finger. He realized that Wormtail would be at Hogwarts with me so he escaped."

Ginny felt her eyes pricking with tears. "You escaped from Azkaban for Harry?"

Sirius nodded. "I couldn't let Wormtail finish the job he'd started so many years earlier. I'd already failed James and Lily once, I couldn't let him get Harry as well."

Seeing the confusion in Ginny's face Harry explained, "Peter was my parents' Secret Keeper."

Sirius threw back another glass of whiskey. "Another one of my brilliant plans. I was so sure that it would work. Everyone would assume James would pick me; after all we'd been best friends for years. So Voldemort and my dear cousin would come after me while Peter was hidden safely away protecting James and Lily."

Sirius looked at Harry with tear filled eyes. "I'm so sorry Harry. I would give anything to change what happened. I shouldn't have talked Prongs into changing Secret Keepers. I shouldn't have gone after Peter. I should have been there for you."

A little unsteadily Harry said to Sirius, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You know it's not your fault, right? Changing Secret Keepers may have been your idea, but my parents agreed and Peter is the one who decided to become a traitor. You heard him that night in the Shrieking Shack. He said he did it because there was nothing to be gained from resisting Voldemort. He didn't even seem upset that he caused my parents' death. It was Peter, not you, who betrayed my parents."

Sirius reached over and pulled Harry into a rough embrace. Harry hesitantly returned the hug. As Sirius pulled back he said, "Thank you, Harry."

* * *

Sirius woke up late the next morning with a pounding headache and an angry werewolf standing over him.

"What did you do?" Remus asked in an angry whisper.

Sirius tried to bury his head under his pillow, but Remus vanished all of the pillows and blankets from his bed.

"Sirius, the only reason I'm not yelling is I don't want the rest of the Order to worry. I came downstairs this morning, luckily just before Molly, to find an empty bottle of Firewhiskey and three glasses. Who were you drinking with? No one came in late last night, so that only leaves the kids. Were the twins drinking with you?"

Sirius sat up groggily. "Moony, calm down."

"Calm down? Sirius you can't treat these kids…you are the adult here. You shouldn't be drinking that much with the kids in the house much less letting them join you. Molly would kill you if she knew."

"It wasn't the twins." Sirius said quietly as he reached into his nightstand and pulled out three smoking vials of potion. He downed one before turning back to Remus.

Remus sat on the end of Sirius's bed. "So who were you drinking with?"

Sirius winced as he felt the hangover potion flooding through his veins.

"Harry and Ron?"

"Well you were closer that time," Sirius commented, "Harry and Ginny. Before you start yelling, they were already downstairs when I came down. Harry was telling Ginny about…about the Chamber of Secrets from his point of view. My godson is fifteen years old. Twice now I've heard him talk about being in life threatening situations. After the Tri-Wizard Tournament I was there when he told Dumbledore about Voldemort coming back to life and last night I heard him talking about slaying a fifty foot Basilisk with a sword and outwitting Riddle when he was twelve years old."

"Was it bad?" Remus asked in a whisper as if he was afraid of the answer.

"He was bitten by the Basilisk. If Fawkes hadn't cried in his wound, he would have died. Those two kids came a few seconds away from dying in that horrible chamber. I know it wasn't the most responsible thing to do, but I gave them each a glass of Firewhiskey," Sirius explained.

"A glass of Firewhiskey doesn't empty a bottle," Remus said a little less severely.

"Ginny asked why I called James, Prongs. That led back to Peter. Do you know that Harry doesn't blame me? I don't know why, but he doesn't blame me for what happened." Sirius still couldn't believe that.

Remus shook his head at his oldest friend. "I know, Padfoot. Harry has an amazing capacity to forgive. But now you need to give him some hangover potion and get him to give some to Ginny."

* * *

Harry stared at the smoking vial of potion his godfather was holding. His head was pounding and his stomach was heaving, he really didn't think he could keep down anything much less this noxious looking potion. He looked up at his father's two best friends. "Are you sure?"

"Trust me, Harry," Remus said. "You'll feel a lot better after you've taken it."

Harry sighed and took the potion from his godfather. He stared at the potion for a second and then tossed it back. For a moment Harry thought it would be coming right back up, but to his relief it stayed down.

"Okay, you have a few minutes to shower and change and then you need to give a vial to Ginny," Sirius explained.

"You gave her the Firewhiskey, why can't you give her the potion?" Harry asked as he rummaged through his clothes.

"Because, if Molly catches me or Remus in her fourteen year old daughter's room, she will kill us first without asking for an explanation. She at least would let you explain before killing you," Sirius explained.

Harry glared at his godfather as he straightened up with some clothes in his arms. "Okay, give me a few minutes."

Sirius was eyeing Harry's clothes distastefully. "Don't you have any clothes that fit?"

Harry shook his head. "No, all my clothes are hand-me-downs from Dudley. He's about five times bigger than me."

The two older wizards exchanged a look as Harry headed off for the shower.

* * *

"Gin?"

Ginny burrowed deeper into her pillow. "Go way."

Harry smiled, she really was cute. He stopped smiling, where had that thought come from? He shook his head, she was cute. He was allowed to think a friend of his was cute.

"Gin, you really want to wake up before your mum comes up here," Harry said as he peeled her covers back.

Ginny opened one eye. "Don't wanna get up. Hate you."

Harry laughed and held the potion in front of her. "Take this and you'll feel better. Besides, you shouldn't hate me, you should hate Sirius."

Considering that Ginny agreed, "I hate Sirius."

Harry watched as she took the potion, for a minute he wasn't sure if it would stay down, but then she relaxed. Harry pulled her up into a sitting position. Ginny leaned forward and put her head on his chest, Harry laughed and rubbed her back while the potion started working.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Harry wandered down to the kitchen. Tonks, Remus, and Sirius were sitting around the table.

"Hey pup, feeling any better?" Sirius asked as Harry helped himself to a glass of pumpkin juice.

Harry made a face at Sirius. "I'm fine, but I'd steer clear of Ginny for a while if I was you."

Remus laughed at his long-time friend. "You should know from experience you don't want to make the red-heads angry."

Tonks snorted into her drink before she turned to Sirius. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"I'm finishing up my Christmas shopping on Diagon Alley," Tonks replied.

"Oh, can I come?" Harry asked, his face lighting up. "I'll be really good, I haven't been allowed to go to Hogsmeade to go shopping. Please."

Tonks exchanged an uncertain glance with Remus and Sirius. "I don't know, Harry. I don't know how safe it would be."

"But I've been going to St. Mungo's every day and I'd be with a fully trained Auror," Harry implored. "Please."

He looked over at his godfather. "I've never been Christmas shopping in London before. I promise if there is any trouble I will come right back here. Please, Sirius."

Sirius groaned inwardly, he couldn't resist the pleading in those big green eyes. He looked at his cousin, "Would you mind taking him to a few shops? He's right, we've been letting him go to St. Mungo's. It's not like the Death Eaters will be looking for him Christmas shopping."

Tonks looked between the two Marauders. "If Remus comes with me, I will take Harry shopping."

Harry immediately turned to Remus. "Will you? Please."

Smiling Remus agreed. "Go grab your coat, you can come with us."

With a shout Harry hugged his godfather before he ran for the stairs to grab his coat.

Watching his godson leave, Sirius laughed. "Remember how we always used to give Prongs such a hard time for turning to mush when Lily turned those big green eyes on him?"

"Yeah, I think we owe him an apology," Remus said as Harry jumped down the last few steps.

Remus turned to Sirius. "It would be better if Molly doesn't know Harry's out of the house."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mum.

* * *

Diagon Alley was full of holiday shoppers rushing around. Harry smiled as he took in all of the hustle and bustle. Their first stop was Gringotts, the Wizarding bank.

As the goblin took Tonks and Harry down into their vaults a thought occurred to Harry. "What happens if you want to buy something really expensive, but don't have the money on you?"

"As long as you have the money in your vault all you have to do is sign for it," Tonks replied.

"Why doesn't everyone do that?" Harry asked curiously.

"It is only available if you have a certain balance in your vault." Tonks explained, "I don't remember exactly, but I think you need at least a 5000 Galleon balance in your account." Looking over at Harry, she gave him a cheeky grin. "Don't worry, you qualify."

As the cart stopped at his vault, Harry got out and filled up his money bag. Tonks did the same at her vault and they re-joined Remus in the lobby of the bank.

Tonks led the way out onto Diagon Alley and swept Harry and Remus along in her wake. Three hours later, Harry was sure they had hit every shop on Diagon Alley. He had gotten Ron a broom compass and Hermione a new book she had wanted. With Remus's input he had gotten gifts for most of the Weasleys and Tonks. To Harry's embarrassment, Tonks had insisted on getting new clothes for him. They were an early present from Sirius, she had explained it away.

"I want to head into Janice's Garden," Tonks said.

"What kind of store is that?" Harry asked.

"It is the coolest store, they sell a little of everything," Tonks replied enthusiastically. "I want to look for a present for my Mum."

As they entered the store, a cloud of perfume enveloped them immediately. Remus made a face, but didn't say anything. Harry looked around the store. In one corner was a display of small statues of animals. Harry was reminded of the small Hungarian Horntail he'd been given prior to the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The statues were a mix of domestic and magical animals. There were dogs and cats, lions and tigers as well as dragons and phoenixes, and fire crabs and unicorns. All of the statues were animated. Harry laughed at the antics of a small shaggy black dog. It was running in its tiny enclosure barking and jumping.

Harry picked out the little black dog for Sirius, a wolf for Remus, and he even found a Hippogriff for Hagrid.

Tonks was browsing at the display case containing necklaces. Harry joined her while Remus looked through the candle display.

A golden lion pendent caught Harry's eye. The lion was beautiful with flowing golden mane and its tail standing up. It had small green gems for eyes. He thought of Ginny telling him she didn't feel like a true Gryffindor. Maybe this little lion would remind her that she truly a Gryffindor.

"May I help you?"

Harry startled slightly as the salesclerk came up to him. She was an older witch with a pleasant face.

Harry blushed slightly but asked, "Can I see that?"

Smiling the clerk pulled the little lion from the case. "This is beautiful. The eyes are made from emeralds."

Harry picked up the necklace, it was perfect. He looked up at the clerk. "I'll take it."

"It will be 25 galleons," the clerk replied.

Harry handed over the money and turned to see Tonks and Remus had finished their shopping.

As they left, Tonks teased Harry, "Get something for your girlfriend?"

Harry blushed. "No."

Intrigued by his blush Tonks exchanged a look with Remus. "So who is it for?"

Harry stared ahead, not answering the question.

Remus cleared his throat, distracting Tonks. "Do you need to go anywhere else?"

* * *

Christmas morning, Ginny woke to the sound of her brother yelling 'Happy Christmas!' throughout the house. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep when the door to the room burst open.

"What are you two doing still asleep?" Ron yelled. "It's Christmas! Wake up and open your presents!"

"Ronald, get out!" Hermione yelled as she pulled up her covers.

But he had already turned and bounded out of the room to roust others who had managed to sleep through his yelling.

Ginny turned over and sat up and out of the corner of her eye saw Hermione do the same thing. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas, Ginny," Hermione replied as she reached into the small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. She picked up the pile and carrying them to Ginny's bed, she sat down next to Ginny. The two girls took turns opening presents. Hermione opened the jeans and sweaters from her parents along with a note that they had bought her a new CD player and some music which they had at their house. She smiled as she read that, her parents always tried to get her presents she could use in the Muggle world as well as the Magical world. She thought it was their way of reminding her where she came from.

A disgusted sound from Ginny made her look up. Ginny was holding up a garish pink bracelet and looking at it in disgust. Holding back a giggle Hermione asked, "Who is that from?"

"Michael," Ginny replied. "It's awful. I've told him I don't know how many times that I hate pink."

Hermione dissolved into giggles, "I'm sorry, Ginny. It is pretty awful."

Ginny threw it on the bedside table and looked over at Hermione's gifts. She spotted a dark brown bottle.

"What's that?" Ginny asked pointing to the bottle.

Blushing slightly Hermione responded, "It is perfume from Ron."

Ginny looked over at Hermione, but didn't say anything. She knew Hermione had a crush on Ron for a while, but who was she to tease someone about crushing on someone who didn't seem to know you were alive. "That's nice. What did Harry get you?"

Beaming Hermione said, "He got me the _New Theory of Numerology_. I've wanted that for a while."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm glad you like it."

Ginny searched for the present labelled with Hermione's neat handwriting and tore open the wrapping. It was a paperback book called _Pride and Prejudice_. Hermione watched her anxiously. "It's one of my favourite books. I thought you might like it."

"Thanks, Hermione," Ginny said as she hugged her friend.

Hermione opened her gift from Ginny and was pleased to find several different skeins of yarn. "Thanks, Ginny. I was running out of yarn."

Hermione started looking through her new book while Ginny finished opening her gifts. She received a traditional Weasley sweater from her Mum, this year it was a soft blue. Ron and the twins had taken the easy route and given her candy. Bill sent her a beautiful pair of fire gem earrings and Charlie sent her a new winter cloak that was black with a deep green lining.

Sirius, Remus and Tonks had gotten each of the girls some stationary and quills. While Hermione's stationary was an elegant creamy blue, Ginny's stationary was a dark gold edged with red. There were tiny griffins along the bottom edge.

"Ginny, I'm headed downstairs," Hermione announced as she donned her new lavender Weasley sweater.

"Okay, I'll be down in just a minute," Ginny said as she gathered up the wrapping paper from her bed.

Ginny was surprised to find a small box wrapped in festive gold paper under all of the others. She opened the box and found another flat, black box inside. She opened it and a note fell out. She picked up the note. It read:

_Ginny_

_For times when you don't feel like a Gryffindor, this is to remind you that you are one of the strongest and bravest witches I know._

_Harry_

Ginny tore her gaze from the note to the box. Inside she found a beautiful golden lion with sparkling green eyes. It was attached to a thin gold chain.

With shaking hands, Ginny lifted the necklace from its box. She headed over to the mirror and held it up in front of her.

"Do you like it?" Harry's voice from the corridor made her jump.

"Harry, it is beautiful. Thank you." Ginny threw her arms around him. Startled, Harry awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. While he had not expected this reaction from her, she seemed to fit well in his arms.

"I'm glad you like it." Harry said shyly.

Blushing Ginny pulled back. "Will you put it on me?"

Ginny pulled her hair aside and handed the necklace to Harry. Taking in a deep breath, Harry was assaulted by the intoxicating scent of flowers. He shook his head slightly as if to clear it. This was Ginny, his friend – he needed to remember that. Hermione had told him that she had gotten over him.

Harry fumbled with the clasp for a moment before attaching the necklace. Ginny looked down at the necklace, she lifted up the little lion. She smiled up at him. "Thank you."

"No. That is my way of thanking you," Harry replied with a smile.

* * *

A few days after Christmas, the Weasleys plus Harry and Hermione returned from visiting Mr Weasley at St. Mungo's to find Remus and Sirius pouring over a photo album.

Mrs Weasley bustled around getting tea and biscuits for everyone. Sirius beckoned Harry over to join them on the large sofa.

Harry smiled, he wasn't used to seeing Sirius in such a good mood. "What do you have?"

"When Hagrid contacted me at the end of your first year asking for pictures, I…I didn't include any of Sirius for obvious reasons. I threw them in an old trunk and forgot about them until I found this album today," Remus said with a smile.

Sirius was a little misty eyed as he ran his finger over some of the pictures. "This has always been my favourite," he said as he handed the picture over to Harry. Taking the picture, Harry felt a sharp sting of tears in his eyes. It was a picture of a black haired toddler taking a nap while lying down on a large black dog. As Harry watched, he saw his younger self petting his godfather.

The Weasleys looked over Harry's shoulder at the picture while Sirius turned to Remus. "Was that taken the day…"

Sirius trailed off as Remus started laughing, "Yup. That was the day.

"What happened?" Harry asked as he looked between his father's best friends.

Remus smiled. "This picture was taken when you were just over a year old. James and Lily were both working on you trying to get you to say your first word. So that afternoon, when I got to their house for tea it was 'Come on Harry, say mama' or 'Say dada, for me.' You were looking back and forth between them like they were nuts. Sirius arrived a little late, so he walked in and you immediately went over to him."

Remus laughed. "You always went straight to Sirius. If Lily or James couldn't get you to sleep, Sirius could do it. If you wouldn't stop crying for your parents, you would stop for Sirius. So that day you went right up to Sirius and held up your arms. As soon as he picked you up you said, 'Doggie.' I thought James and Lily were going to cry on the spot."

Harry blushed slightly, but smiled as everyone started laughing. He was always glad to hear stories about his parents.

"Yeah, Lily was a bit put out, that I was his first word," Sirius said with a smile. "She kept giving me the evil eye for the rest of the afternoon. She forgave me eventually, but James thought it was great. Harry's first word was 'Doggie'."

Remus reached out for the picture and cast a spell replicating the picture. He handed the copy to Harry. "Here, for your album."

* * *

That night after dinner, Harry headed up to his room. He stopped in Sirius's room where the two Marauders were still telling stories and looking through pictures.

"Good night, guys," Harry said from the doorway.

Sirius gestured him into his Gryffindor themed room. "Come on in, kiddo."

Smiling Harry came in and looked around. He laughed at the walls covered with Muggle pictures of bikini clad women. "Your parents must have hated your room."

"That was kind of the idea," Sirius said with a laugh.

Harry's eyes fell on a picture of Remus holding him as a small child. "Remus, how come you never came to see me after I went to live with my aunt and uncle?"

Laughter drained from Remus's face. "I…I was a mess after what happened. Lily and James were dead, I thought Peter was dead and Sirius was responsible for everything. I retreated into the Muggle world. I couldn't keep a job very long…I figured you were much better off with your aunt and uncle. I'm sorry Harry."

Sirius saw the look on his godson's face. "It turned out okay, didn't it?"

Looking at his godfather, Harry knew there was only one answer he could give. "Yeah. It turned out fine. Don't worry about it Remus."

* * *

Harry was back in his cupboard, he heard the sound of his uncle's car pulling up. He counted in his head, it usually took Uncle Vernon until the count of fifty to come inside. It was hot and stuffy inside his cupboard, he really hoped he would be let out to use the loo soon. He heard his aunt greet his uncle, serving him a drink. Dinner would be ready soon. He held his breath, maybe no one would say anything. That thought lasted only a few minutes as he heard his cousin thunder down the stairs.

"Dad!"

"Hey sport! How was your day?"

"He hurt me." Harry could hear the fake tears in Dudley's voice as he told his father how Harry had caused him to crash his bicycle into the hedge.

Harry wanted to protest that it wasn't his fault. Dudley had been chasing him on his bicycle and hitting him with a stick. Harry jumped out of the way and Dudley had crashed into the hedge. Aunt Petunia had yelled at Harry for wrecking the hedge and the scratch Dudley had gotten when he wrecked, then she threw him in the cupboard without anything to eat or drink.

"What? That good for nothing freak!" Vernon's voice was getting closer to the cupboard. Harry curled up into a ball and flinched when the door to the cupboard flew open.

"Boy! What did you do to my son?" Vernon thundered. He reached into the cupboard and pulled Harry out by the arm. Harry flew across the room and slammed his head on the wall. Harry vaguely registered Petunia leading Dudley out of the room. Vernon pulled him up by the hair and backhanded him.

Harry tried to plead with his uncle, but he knew from experience it would not do any good. By the time his uncle threw him back in the cupboard, he was bloodied and bruised with several broken ribs as well as a broken arm.

Harry woke with a start, cold sweat pouring off him. He sat straight up and he was reassured to hear the sound of Ron snoring. He slowly calmed himself and reached over to the nightstand he grabbed his glasses. He groaned softly when he read the time was 3:00am.

Throwing back his covers he grabbed his dressing gown. He knew after a dream like that he would have no chance of going back to sleep. The house was quiet as Harry made his way down the hall. Without even planning where he was going, Harry ended up outside of Ginny's door. She had never said it was okay to wake her if he had a nightmare, but somehow he didn't think she would mind.

He quietly pushed the door open and peered inside. Both girls were sleeping, but Ginny stirred as soon as the door opened. Lifting her head she caught sight of Harry. She glanced over at Hermione before climbing out of bed. She pulled on her dressing gown and without a word joined Harry.

Ginny kept glancing at Harry as they made their way down to the kitchen. He had obviously had a nightmare. Ginny was surprised to see it looked as if he had been crying. When they reached the kitchen, Harry sat at the table while Ginny made hot chocolate for both of them. As he had done for her, Ginny waited in silence for him to talk.

Harry cupped the mug of hot chocolate for warmth as the last vestiges of his nightmare washed away. He glanced over at Ginny for a moment, silently thankful for her friendship.

"I asked Remus earlier why he'd never come to see me before, you know when I was a kid," Harry said as he stared into the fire. He felt Ginny's eyes on him, but knew he could not look at her as he told her what happened.

"What did he say?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, that he was messed up and lived in the Muggle world for a while. But I was in the Muggle world too and I could have used a friend. I didn't know anything about the Magical world or my parents. I didn't even know their names until Hagrid told me. Anyhow, Sirius said something like well it turned out for the best." Harry took a sip of his hot chocolate before continuing. "What could I say to him? My aunt and uncle hate magic and they hate me. Before I got my Hogwarts letter, I lived in a cupboard under the stairs. It always kind of amused me that Ron was so scared of spiders. There were spiders all over my cupboard, I would play with them."

"The spiders were the only friends that Dudley didn't scare off. I never had any real friends because Dudley would beat up anyone who was nice to me." Harry laughed bitterly. "Do you know that they never call me by name? It is always boy or freak. I've been doing the cooking and cleaning and whatever else they could think of as long as I can remember. When Hermione started going on about house elves I had to laugh to myself. Most of them are treated better than my so-called relatives treat me. My aunt will give me a whole list of chores to be done."

Ginny listened in growing horror, she had known that Harry's relatives did not treat him well, but she had never imagined it was this bad. Harry continued, "During the summer, she will send me out to cut the grass, or weed the garden, or paint. It doesn't even really matter if it needs to be done, she'll let Dudley break the fence so I can fix it or she'll rip up the flowers saying she changed her mind about what she wants. She'll keep me outside all day without any food or water. I will get so dizzy…and if I pass out or throw up I get in so much trouble. Mind you my cousin doesn't need to do chores, he just watches me or messes up the room I've just cleaned so I have to do it again. Once I'm done with the chores she will always find something wrong. If she's in a good mood she'll give me some bread and cheese or water and throw me in my cupboard. If not, well I've skipped more than my fair share of meals. If I did better in school than my cousin, which isn't hard because he's about as smart as Crabbe and Goyle, I would be punished."

Harry took a deep breath before continuing. Sometime while he'd been talking, Ginny had laid her hand on his arm. Without thinking, Harry covered her hand with his.

"My aunt would never hit me or anything. She would leave that to my uncle. I can't tell you how many nights I've waited in my cupboard and listened to him come in and wait terrified for him to come get me. My dream earlier was about my sixth birthday. Of course they never celebrated my birthdays. I didn't even know when my birthday was until I started school. My aunt always told me that freaks didn't have birthdays, but my cousin thought it was great fun to make my birthdays the worst he could. When he got older he would demand presents on my birthday just so he would have some and I didn't."

Harry recounted his dream to Ginny while tears slipped unheeded down both of their cheeks.

"That was one of the worst beatings, but it certainly wasn't totally out of the ordinary. When I first got my Hogwarts letter it was addressed to me at the 'Cupboard Under the Stairs'. My uncle got scared that they were watching him and gave me Dudley's second bedroom and left me alone for a while. Once he realized that the Wizarding world really didn't give a damn about me and I couldn't do magic outside of school…he takes great delight in beating me whenever he can. This summer after the Dementors…he hasn't beaten me that badly in a long time. I think that was part of the reason I was so angry when I first got here this summer. I felt so let down by everyone. I mean…Dumbledore had people watching the house, but where were they when the Dementors attacked or when my uncle beat the crap out of me? It's a good thing my guard didn't come to rescue me that night, I wouldn't have been able to move."

"Didn't you ever tell anyone?" Ginny asked after a moment of silence.

"I did once when I was in primary school. My uncle convinced them I was lying and when we got home that night…he beat me. I think he broke some ribs, he just threw me in my cupboard until I healed." Harry explained miserably.

"You should tell Professor Dumbledore," Ginny said gently.

Harry shook his head. "No. Professor Dumbledore is mad at me. I think he is mad at me letting Voldemort come back and blames me for getting Cedric killed."

"What? Harry, no, Professor Dumbledore couldn't blame you for that," Ginny said in surprise.

"He hasn't talked to me since then," Harry replied. "He wouldn't even talk to me at my hearing. He was at Grimmauld Place the night before my hearing and didn't say a word to me. Once the hearing was over he just walked off. When we were in his office when your dad was hurt, he wouldn't look at me. If he doesn't blame me, why is he ignoring me?"

Ginny couldn't answer that. "What about Sirius? Why haven't you told Sirius?"

He looked up with tears in his eyes. "I don't want him to go back to prison," he whispered. "I'm afraid if I told him about my uncle he would go after him. I mean he went after Peter and ended up in Azkaban for twelve years. I want him around so that when this mess is sorted out, I can live with him. I don't want him to do anything that might jeopardize that."

Unable to think of anything to say, Ginny reached out and pulled him into a hug. Harry was startled at first but soon relaxed in her arms.

Outside the kitchen door, unbeknownst to the teens, Sirius stood with tears pouring down his face. He had heard Harry come down and had planned to talk to his godson when he heard Harry's story to Ginny. He was outraged that anyone would be treated like that, much less his beloved godson. Listening to Harry's story, Sirius felt the full impact of his rash actions of that Halloween night so long ago crash down on top of him. If he hadn't gone after Peter, he could have raised Harry. He felt a fire light inside him, just as the thought that he was innocent had sustained him while he was in Azkaban, the thought that Harry needed him took a hold of him now. For Harry, he could change.

* * *

Remus made his way downstairs the next morning a little worse for wear, but he figured Sirius would be much worse off than he. Molly and the kids were eating breakfast and of course Molly immediately served him. After thanking Molly, Remus turned to look at the kids. Harry and Ginny both seemed a little tired, but Remus knew they were both still prone to nightmares from time to time.

"What are you planning to do today?" Remus asked.

"I want to help Sirius," Harry said.

"Help Sirius do what?" Remus asked. He tried to remember if Sirius had mentioned any plans for today, but failed.

A noise behind him made him turn and look, Sirius was not only up, he was dressed and working. Remus was shocked. He had been concerned that the effects of being back in his family home were not good for Sirius, but this morning Sirius was bright eyed and there was something different about him.

"Remus, old friend. Just the person I was looking for," Sirius greeted Remus as he dropped onto the bench next to him. Sirius reached into his pocket and slid two sheets of parchment towards Remus. "Do you think you could get these supplies for me? The Apothecary will just charge my vault, but for the Muggle supplies you can use this."

Remus was surprised when Sirius slid a large stack of money his direction. Curious he looked at the lists. One list was as Sirius said for the Apothecary, it was a rather extensive list of potion ingredients. The other was for Muggle exercise equipment. Before he could say anything Hermione said, "Remus, can I go with you? It might be easier with two people."

Remus looked up at her. "Of course Hermione, you can come with me." Looking at his best friend with astonishment, he asked, "Sirius, where were you planning on putting all of this?"

Sirius grinned. "Well, there is a potions lab on the first floor. I checked in there this morning and it is actually in fairly good shape, just needs some cleaning and restocking. There is a room off the kitchen here that is pretty big. I had Kreacher move the furniture to the attic. The kids are going to help me clean it up and I thought it would make a great training room."

"Okay." Remus was still trying to figure out what was going on. While he was glad to see Sirius so motivated, he was surprised and a little confused. Before he could say anything else, Molly broke in. "That is an excellent idea, Sirius. I am going to head over to St. Mungo's, but if you need anything, please let me know."

As they finished eating the kids went upstairs to change and came down ready to work. Ron and Ginny started in the potions lab, cleaning beakers and vials and generally tidying up the place while Sirius and Harry started on the new training room. Remus decided not to question, but left with Hermione to go shopping.

By early afternoon, Harry was exhausted, but happy. When Sirius had come down that morning so full of plans, Harry had jumped at the opportunity to work with his godfather. They had talked the whole time they had worked. Sirius was full of questions about Harry's school career. He asked about Harry's favourite classes and his Quidditch matches and in return Sirius shared some stories from when he was in Hogwarts.

Harry looked around the room, in the past few hours he and Sirius had cleaned out years' worth of dirt, dust and neglect. The room Harry could now see was a big with stone floors that were now clean and bright without the years of grime collecting on them. The walls had been cleaned, but they were still a rather gloomy grey colour. Looking over at his godfather, Harry asked, "Can we paint the walls? This wall colour is horrible."

Sirius looked at the walls as if really seeing them for the first time. "Of course, Harry. Do you have a colour in mind?"

Harry laughed, "Not really. I figure anything will be better than that horrible grey."

"It should be a cheerful colour," came a voice from the doorway. "Like a bright yellow."

Harry and Sirius turned to see Ginny looking around the room. "Remus and Hermione just got back, they are in the kitchen."

The three found Remus, Hermione and Ron opening bags in the kitchen. Remus had obtained all of the requested potions ingredients and well as some new cauldrons, knives and vials. Together they all went up to the newly cleaned potions lab to put the new materials away.

"Ginny, you and Ron did an excellent job," Sirius said as he wandered around the room. "Thank you."

"So what are you going to be using it for?" Ron asked.

Sirius smiled as he pulled a dusty potions book off the shelves. "I am going to brew some Polyjuice Potion."

Ignoring the gasps from the others he continued, "I was thinking that we should have a cauldronful available for the Order. Plus this way I can actually leave the house now and then and do something useful."

"Brilliant," Harry said excitedly. "That's great, Sirius."

Remus eyed his old friend, it was a brilliant idea. The question was, what made Sirius so ambitious all of a sudden? Knowing Sirius as he did, he didn't ask. Sirius would eventually tell him.

"Hermione and I found the exercise equipment that you wanted," Remus started. "The salesclerk had all kinds of suggestions, so we picked out a few extras."

Hermione drew the brochure out of her purse and showed Sirius what they had chosen. While Remus explained, "We told them we would pick everything up tonight. We rented a truck, because we couldn't figure out a better way to get everything without raising their suspicions. I'm going to ask Bill if he can help us, we'll load everything up and pull into the alleyway in the back."

* * *

Sirius smiled as he watched his godson jogging on the treadmill next to him. He and Harry had started working out together regularly. Ginny frequently joined them as did Bill when he was around. Ron was fascinated by the Muggle machines, but he didn't enjoy exercising as much as his siblings. Hermione liked using the exercise bike, but she didn't like to work out when the others were there. This morning it was Sirius, Harry, Ron and Ginny working out. Sirius and Harry were jogging while Ron rode the exercise bike and Ginny was jumping rope.

As Harry moved his hand up to wipe the sweat off his forehead, Sirius saw a flash of something on his hand. He stopped jogging and motioned for Harry to do the same. Once Harry had stopped moving, Sirius reached over and grabbed Harry's right hand.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Sirius growled as he brought Harry's hand up so he could see it better. Harry tried to pull his hand away, but Sirius wouldn't let him.

"Nothing," Harry mumbled, he could feel his face heating up.

"It's not nothing, Harry," Sirius said patiently. "What happened?"

As he watched, Sirius saw Harry looking to his friends for help. To Sirius's relief, both of them seemed to feel Harry should talk to him.

Harry sighed, "It happened during detention. Umbridge gave me detention for saying that Voldemort was back. She had me write lines, but instead of using ink it…it carves it in my hand."

From Ginny's gasp, Sirius guessed that she didn't know about his detention, but Ron seemed unsurprised.

"She used a blood quill on you?"

"I guess," Harry replied nervously. "I don't know if that's what it's called, but that sounds right."

"Harry, why didn't you say anything?" Sirius was upset that Harry hadn't felt he was able to come to him with any problems.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't had any detentions in a while."

"You have 'I must not tell lies' carved into your hand. Didn't that seem to be an issue?"

"But it was Umbridge," Harry protested. "She does whatever she wants. I didn't want to say anything because I figured whoever I talked to would get in trouble or I'd get more detentions."

Saddened that Harry felt he had to do this on his own, Sirius reached out and hugged his godson. "It doesn't matter, you should still tell me. Okay?"

Harry seemed to be seeking confirmation in Sirius's face and he must have found it for he smiled and agreed.

"Let's take a break," Sirius said and he led the three teens into the kitchen. Hermione was sitting at the table reading, but no one else was there. Ginny grabbed four waters from the cold pantry and threw them to Ron, Harry and Sirius before joining them at the table.

"So tell me about Umbridge," Sirius said. He listened outraged as the kids told him about her Educational Decrees and her prejudice against those she called "half-breeds."

"Have McGonagall or Dumbledore said anything about her?" Sirius asked concerned.

Harry snorted, "Not Dumbledore, he's still ignoring me. Professor McGonagall did tell me to be careful, she said I could get into a lot of trouble by antagonizing Umbridge. I didn't want her to get in trouble because of me. She didn't know about my detentions." He hastened to add.

"I want you four to be careful when you get back to school," Sirius said. "Keep up with your lessons and the D.A. I think it is a great idea to practice as much as you can. Be careful, though. Umbridge is in tight with Fudge and I don't trust him at all. I've heard rumours of him accusing people of dabbling with the Dark Arts to discredit them. If you have any problems, let me know."

* * *

It ended up being the best Christmas break ever for Harry. He wasn't exactly sure what had changed for Sirius, but the change was quite obvious. He and Sirius had been working out in the gym every day, talking and getting to know each other. It was great spending time with his godfather just hanging out. Mr Weasley had come back from St. Mungo's and had fully recovered from his injuries.

The last night before they were to return to Hogwarts, Harry was having trouble sleeping. For once, he really did not want to return to Hogwarts. With Professor Umbridge not actually teaching them defence and no Quidditch, he would really rather stay with Sirius. The only bright spots were his friends and the DA. He really enjoyed teaching and knowing that he was doing so against Umbridge's decree made it even better. Blushing, he thought back to the last DA lesson before the break. His first kiss somehow wasn't quite what he had imagined it would be. He liked Cho, but something was missing.

A creak outside his door made him look up. He smiled, it was Ginny. Getting up he left the room he shared with Ron and together they made their way downstairs. After they arrived in the kitchen, Harry made the hot chocolate while Ginny sat at the table.

"Were you having a nightmare, too?" Ginny asked softly.

"Me? No, I was just having trouble sleeping," Harry replied as he sat down next to Ginny, sliding her a cup of hot chocolate. When Ginny didn't say anything he continued, "For the first time ever, I don't want to go back to school. I mean, private lessons with Snape, what did I ever do to deserve that? It's been so nice not having to worry about Umbridge and…I like hanging out with Sirius." Harry blushed slightly as he admitted that.

Ginny smiled. "It's been really nice watching you two. He really loves you, you know."

Harry's smile lit up the room. "I know. It's amazing, I have someone there for me. I've never had that before."

His smile faded as he looked over at his companion. "Nightmare?"

Ginny gave him a half-hearted smile, "Did you ever notice how many damn snakes there are in this place? They are all over the bloody place – on the sinks, on the wallpaper, our room even has snake drawer pulls. I guess I just…I was in the Chamber and I can still see that Basilisk."

Harry reached out for her hand while she continued, "This time I let the Basilisk loose on the whole school and…Hermione died and Colin died…at least this time I woke up before you died."

Harry squeezed her hand comfortingly. "I hate nightmares."

Looking around the kitchen he smiled. "Too bad you didn't mention the snakes before, we could have had a snake hunt."

Ginny looked at him for a moment before laughing. "I can just see that now. We could sneak up on the bathroom taps or drawer pulls and attack them from behind."

"I'd let you kill as many as you want, I know Sirius wouldn't mind." Harry laughed.

It was with mixed feelings that Harry boarded the Knight Bus the next day. Looking around at his companions, he thought at least he was surrounded by friends.


	2. Chapter 2 Umbridge's Revenge

**A/N:** Thank you to my beta Ministry Malcontent for all of his hard work.

* * *

**February 25 – May 25, 1996**

Ginny looked up from her spot on the sofa in the common room as the portrait hole opened. It was quite late and she thought that everyone was inside already. She didn't immediately see anyone, but she could hear someone talking in the hall outside.

"I have a note, Malfoy. It's from your Head-of-House, so if you have a problem with it, talk to him, not me."

Ginny grimaced as she heard Harry's comment. She didn't know exactly what the Occlumency lessons entailed, but she knew that Harry always returned to the common room worn out. It was just like Malfoy to try to get Harry into trouble. She heard the rumble of Malfoy's response, but she couldn't make out what he said. A moment later, Harry slammed into the common room. He stopped short at the sight of her on the sofa and instead of continuing on to the boys' dorm he plopped down next to her.

"Hi, Ginny." He leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes. "What are you still doing up?"

She groaned in response. "I can't move, so I haven't gone up to bed."

Harry opened his eyes and looked over at her, his concerned look quickly turned to a smirk as he asked, "Quidditch practice tonight?"

At her nod, Harry started laughing. "Bludger or Quaffle?"

Shooting him a disgruntled look, Ginny responded, "Both. My bruises have bruises. I don't think Kirke and Sloper realize that they aren't supposed to hit me."

"I'll be right back." Harry jumped up and ran up the stairs to his room. He returned a few minutes later with a small vial of potion and several small packs in his hand. He handed the vial to her. "This is a mild pain reliever. It should help with the aches and pains." He squeezed one of the packs which he handed to Ginny.

"Here this is an ice pack. You squeeze them to activate them."

She took the small pack, surprised at the coolness. She pulled the bottom of her shirt out from her pants and slipped the pack under her shirt holding it to her ribs. "That is amazing, Harry. Thanks."

He smiled at her. "No problem. They're actually a Muggle invention, I stocked up on them this summer, but I don't really need them this year."

"Did you eat tonight?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"Not really. I soaked in the tub after practice and I went down to the Great Hall, but …Michael was really aggravating. It was like…I don't know, like he was embarrassed that I play Quidditch. He really wasn't very happy when I made the team. I don't know if he thinks girls shouldn't play Quidditch or what. He was really aggravated about the practice on Valentine's Day."

She stopped and shot a teasing glance at Harry. "I'm thinking you would have rather been at practice though."

Harry shot her a disgruntled look. His date with Cho was not one of his favourite topics. The thought briefly crossed his mind, that he would have had a lot more fun with Ginny. He quickly banished that thought as she continued.

"I didn't eat much because I was getting annoyed at him. Then I come back up here and Dean Thomas is telling me that Quidditch is such a rough game and I should careful. What is it with guys?"

Harry laughed. "Don't ask me. You're fine – you just need to learn to dodge better."

Laughing, Ginny smacked him on the arm. "Thanks a lot."

"What? It's true. You do realize that you're supposed to dodge them, right?" Harry laughed as he ducked the half-hearted blow directed at him. "Of course with your beaters, it probably isn't really your fault much, is it? After playing with Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, I would never say that girls shouldn't play Quidditch. Those guys are probably just jealous that you play better than them."

Ginny giggled, "You're probably right. Oh, this feels so much better."

Harry smiled. "Good. Trust me; all joking aside, I've gone through a lot of these. If you need more, just let me know."

As he saw her relaxing he said, "I'm going to run down to the kitchen to grab a snack, do want a sandwich or something?"

"It's after curfew, won't you get in trouble?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry said with a smile as he pulled a silvery cloth out of his pocket. "As long as I have this, I'll be fine."

"Merlin, is that an Invisibility Cloak?" Ginny asked in fascination as she reached out to touch the shimmery fabric.

"Yeah, it was my dad's. I got it my first year for Christmas. It's great for sneaking down to the kitchen," Harry responded.

"Well, in that case, yes I would love some sandwiches and pumpkin juice," Ginny said with a smile.

* * *

A short time later, Harry reappeared with a platter of sandwiches and a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Ginny looked up from the couch where she had settled, reading the book Hermione had gotten her for Christmas.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she helped herself to a sandwich.

Harry made a face. "On my way back I ran into Malfoy and Pansy 'patrolling'. Ugh, that is something no one should see."

Ginny laughed at the look on his face. As he reached for a sandwich, she could see a wince of pain cross his face. She knew that probably meant he had another headache. From what she could tell, he always had headaches on the nights he had Occlumency lessons.

"So, tell me. What could I have done differently in our game against Hufflepuff?" she asked in an effort to distract him.

"You did a great job, Ginny. You caught the snitch…the rest of the team. Well it certainly isn't the best team we've fielded," Harry said awkwardly.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you would have done it differently," Ginny replied.

Harry took a bit of his sandwich as he thought about what he wanted to say. "I think I play more aggressively than you do. Which is totally understandable, I've been playing since I was eleven years old. It's a lot different playing in a game versus flying for fun. There was one point during the game that I saw the snitch and I would have gone for it, but I think you hesitated because it was so near Kirke's ankle."

Thinking back Ginny nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. I saw it, but I guess I didn't consider it because it was so close to him."

An hour later, the platter of sandwiches was empty and the fire was dying down. Ginny laughed as Harry was telling her how he had gotten on the team in the first place. A creak on the stairs of the girls' dorm made them turn.

"Harry, Ginny. What are you doing up?" Hermione asked.

"We were just having a snack, Hermione," Harry replied wearily.

Ginny glared at her friend as she made her way down to the common room. She and Harry had been having such a good time, why did Hermione have to come down?

Ignoring Ginny's glare, Hermione said, "It is 12:30 in the morning. You two should be getting to bed."

Reluctantly Harry stood, he knew Hermione was right, but he was enjoying talking to Ginny. Reaching out his hand, he helped Ginny stand. "Do you need more ice packs?"

"No I'm good for now. Thanks Harry."

"No problem. Good night." He looked up over her shoulder. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night," Ginny and Hermione said at the same time.

* * *

Ginny woke early the next Monday morning. She hurried through her morning routine so she would be sure to make it downstairs by the time Ron was headed to breakfast. She smiled when she saw Hermione already in the common room.

"Good morning, Hermione."

"Good morning." Hermione replied with a smile. She looked around the room before she asked. "So what was going on with Harry the other day?"

Ginny blushed slightly. "We…I was still in the common room when he got back from his Occlumency lessons and we started talking. He was hungry so he went down to the kitchen for some food and we ate together."

"You two looked awfully cosy." Hermione smirked.

"That didn't stop you from interrupting," Ginny said sulkily. "We were having a good time. I have to say I was a little upset with you."

Hermione's face fell. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't think…I was just thinking that it was late."

She looked over at her younger friend. "So, what is going on?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. We…we've gotten along really well since Christmas. I'm trying not to read anything into it, I'm just enjoying it."

She was spared any further questioning when Ron and Harry came down the stairs into the common room.

"Happy birthday, Ron!" Ginny called out. She went over and hugged her brother. He blushed slightly, but returned the hug, picking her up and twirling her around before setting her back down.

"Thanks, Ginny," Ron replied. "And thanks for the Cannons t-shirt."

"You're welcome," Ginny said laughing.

Ron kept an arm around her shoulders as the four of them headed down to breakfast. Ginny laughed at his excitement as he told her about the gifts he had received from their parents and brothers. A twinge of anger passed through her when she realized that Percy had not sent Ron a birthday gift.

"Happy Birthday, brother."

Ron turned to see the twins behind him. He eyed them wearily for a moment before saying, "Thanks. Do you want to join us for breakfast?"

"Certainly," George replied. Turning to his twin he said, "Do you sense something missing in our brother's greeting?"

"I do, I do. It almost seems as though he doesn't trust us or something," Fred replied in a mock serious tone.

"Could that be true, Ronnie? Do you not trust your beloved older brothers?" George asked as he squeezed in between Ginny and Hermione on the bench opposite from Ron.

Ron laughed. "I trust Bill and Charlie just fine; it's the two of you I don't trust."

Ginny rolled her eyes at the antics of her brothers as she served herself some eggs and bacon. "I bet you miss mum's breakfast this morning."

Ron nodded although he had managed to pile his plate high with eggs, bacon, sausage and rolls.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Mum makes us a special breakfast on our birthday each year. If we have a favourite food, she'll make it for us. Of course in Ron's case it is just the quantity of food that changes," Ginny answered.

"Yeah," Fred chimed in, "Mum makes the best cinnamon rolls. She always sends us some for our birthday."

"Ginny here is the lucky one," George added. "Her birthday is over the summer so she gets mum's cooking every year."

Hermione laughed. "So, what do you ask for, Ginny?"

"Apple turnovers," Ginny replied dreamily, "We had some at the bakery in town once and I really liked them so Mum learned how to make them just for me."

"My mum isn't the best cook," Hermione said, "so we always go out to breakfast on my birthday. When I was little, they would take the day off and we would spend the whole day together."

Ginny noticed a wistful look in Harry's eyes, but remembering their talk over Christmas break she didn't ask about his birthday. She had a sinking feeling that he had never really celebrated his birthday before.

* * *

Ginny hurried into the library on a Thursday evening in late March. She was supposed to be meeting a group of her friends to study for the upcoming Charms test. Looking around the library she saw Michael with a group of 5th year Ravenclaws, she knew that they were starting their O.W.L. revision. She waved as she passed his group, but he just nodded to her before turning back to his friends.

Sighing inwardly, Ginny knew that she really ought to break up with him. Since coming back from Christmas break, she and Michael had not been getting along very well. He was upset about her position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and he had also been upset to learn she had seen Harry over Christmas break.

"Ginny."

Looking up she smiled at Colin Creevey as she slid into the seat next to him. "Hi, Colin."

As she pulled out her books, she greeted her roommates Laura Yates, Diane Donaldson, and Sarah Stevens. After her first year when she did not make many friends, she had made and effort to reach out to her fellow Gryffindors. These four had become her best friends. "I thought Angela and Mike were going to join us," Ginny said referring to one of their other roommates.

Diane rolled her eyes. "They were, but they got into a fight so Angela won't come down."

Quickly dismissing the drama, Ginny asked, "So what are we revising?"

Colin looked down at his notes. "Professor Flitwick said we should know the charm to get rid of a Boggart."

"I thought that would be in Defence Against the Dark Arts," Laura complained.

"Do you really think that Umbridge would teach us something useful?" Ginny asked as she turned to the section of her notes and read out loud, "Riddikulus is the incantation to banish a Boggart. A Boggart will take the form of whatever the person facing it fears the most. Laughter is the key to defeating a Boggart. It is helpful to force your greatest fear into something amusing."

Colin shivered. "I can't imagine how to make a giant snake funny."

"A giant snake?" Ginny asked faintly.

"Yeah," Colin replied. "Ever since our first year, I have had nightmares about this giant snake with big yellow eyes."

Ginny let the conversation of the others flow around her. For some reason, it had not occurred to her that her actions in her first year had a lasting impact on Colin. He had been so understanding when she explained that a magical diary forced her to open the Chamber of Secrets. While those who had been petrified where given an abbreviated version of what happened, Professor Dumbledore did not think it wise to tell them about the Basilisk. Hermione knew of course, but the others were not told what type of creature had petrified them. It still amazed her that neither Colin nor Hermione held her actions against her.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Laura asked in concern.

Looking up Ginny managed a smile. "Sorry. I just have a bit of a headache."

Ginny managed to get through the rest of the revision session and dinner, but when she returned to the common room that evening she went right up to her room. She couldn't face being sociable.

* * *

She woke up several hours later biting back a scream. She had dreamed she was back in the Chamber and this time she had managed to kill not only Colin, but Hermione and Penelope as well. Intellectually she knew that the dream was just a reaction to her conversation with Colin, but she couldn't stop shaking. Slowly she crept out of her dorm room and down to the common room. To her disappointment, the fire had died down and the common room was cold and dark.

Hesitantly she glanced up the stairs several times before making up her mind. Crossing over to the stairs leading to the boys' dorm, she quietly climbed to the landing outside the 5th years' room. Resting her head against the door she took a deep breath before pushing the door open. She slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. Pausing a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, Ginny looked around the room. Luckily all of the boys had closed their bed curtains and to her relief no one appeared to have heard her come in. She figured if anyone saw her, she could always say she was going to see her brother.

Harry was sleeping on his back. Ginny bit her lip as she gazed at him uncertainly. _Should she wake him?_

A snore in the direction of her brother's bed made up her mind. She stepped closer to Harry and put her hand on his shoulder. "Harry."

Harry woke with a start. He blinked confusedly in Ginny's direction. "Ginny?"

He grabbed his wand and his glasses off the table next to his bed. Quietly he cast a silencing and privacy spell.

Sitting up, Harry leaned back against the headboard and patted the bed next to him. "What's wrong?"

Glancing around one last time, Ginny climbed up onto Harry's bed and sat cross legged, facing him. Harry waited patiently while Ginny gathered her thoughts. He was surprised to see the tear tracks visible on her cheeks.

Ginny picked up the edge of Harry's sheet. "Some of my friends and I were studying in the library. We were talking about…Boggarts. Colin said…he…his greatest fear is of a big snake with yellow eyes."

She lifted her tear filled eyes to his. "He doesn't even know what it is that he is afraid of, just that he started having nightmares about this snake after our first year."

"It just hit me tonight that I could have killed two of my best friends," she whispered. "I thought I…I never even asked him about what happened to him. What kind of friend does that make me? I've been so wrapped up in my own nightmares that I never even considered that the others might have nightmares as well."

Harry gazed anxiously at Ginny, unsure of how to respond. He thought back to what he thought would have made him feel better when he was upset. Slowly he reached out and took her hand in two of his own. "Ginny, I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. You know that Hermione and Colin don't hold anything against you, why don't you talk to them about it? Ask them if they have nightmares?"

Ginny gave Harry a shaky smile and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "That's a good idea. I just…I froze when Colin mentioned his nightmares and I didn't know what to say."

"Harry…can I stay here for a little bit? I don't want to go back to my room yet." Ginny asked hesitantly.

Harry smiled and handed her a pillow, "Sure, stay as long as you want."

As she curled up at the foot on Harry's bed, Harry summoned an extra blanket from the cupboard. She laughed softly, "I used to go and wake my brothers up when I had a nightmare. Usually I went to Bill or Charlie, but sometimes I would go see Fred and George."

"Really? Fred and George?"

"I know, it doesn't seem like something they would do, but they were always great if I woke them up," Ginny said. "I used to be scared of thunderstorms and I would camp out in their room when it stormed. We would stay up late and they would make up all kinds of silly stories."

Harry settled more comfortably against the headboard of his bed as he listened to Ginny talk about growing up the youngest of seven and the only girl. Slowly, his eyes closed.

* * *

The sounds of Dean heading off to the shower woke Harry the next morning. He smiled and stretched. There was that floral smell again, he opened his eyes and almost yelled in surprise. Ginny was sleeping on the pillow next to him. Memories of the previous night flooded back to him, they must have fallen asleep talking.

Harry raised himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. She was lying on her stomach with her head turned towards him. Her hair was spread out over his pillow. Harry knew he needed to wake her up, but he hesitated for a minute as he just looked at her. He remembered thinking she was cute over Christmas break, but he was wrong. She wasn't cute, she was beautiful. He loved her hair with all of its different shades blending together. As he watched her sleep, he noticed for the first time a small group of freckles over her nose. He shook his head. _Get a grip, Potter. She is just a friend, remember? She's over you. _

He reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak. When he turned back to Ginny, he was embarrassed to realize that his body had definitely reacted to having a beautiful girl in his bed. Praying that she wouldn't realize the effect she had on him, Harry gently shook her shoulder. "Ginny."

To his horror, all this did was make her roll closer to him. He could feel parts of her pressing against him that he had no business even thinking about much less feeling. For a fleeting moment, he wondered how it would feel if she was lying beneath him. He blushed as he followed that train of thought. Reigning in his thoughts, he tried again to wake her up.

"Ginny, you need to wake up."

To his relief, Ginny's eyes fluttered open. He could tell she didn't realize where she was yet, but as he continued to gaze into her chocolate brown eyes he didn't think he really cared. He felt as if the world had shrunk down to just him and Ginny. He was perfectly content to just stay where he was.

The sounds of his roommates getting up and heading for the shower broke the spell. He could see the realization and panic cross Ginny's face. "Shh! Don't say anything," he whispered urgently.

He handed her his Invisibility Cloak and peered out of his curtains. Luckily, Dean had just left and had left the door slightly open. "You can sneak out; just try not to make any noise."

Ginny stifled a giggle. She knew she would get in a lot of trouble if she was caught, but she had just spent the night with Harry! No, nothing had happened, but still. She had woken up in Harry's bed. Reaching out she hugged him quickly. "Thanks, Harry."

She silently crossed the room and hurried out of the boys' dorm to her own. Harry flopped back on his bed as she left. He was so confused. He had thought he liked Cho, but he now knew that was just a crush. Ginny on the other hand...he didn't know what to think. She wasn't in the same friend category as Hermione, he had never thought about Hermione the way he did Ginny. _Did he fancy Ginny?_ He wished now more than ever he could talk to Sirius.

With a sigh, Harry got up. He was definitely going to need a cold shower before heading to class.

* * *

Remus and Bill discussed the latest information from Albus Dumbledore as they walked up the stairs at Grimmauld Place.

"So he is sure the kids are safe?" Bill asked anxiously. He hadn't liked what he'd heard from his siblings over the Christmas holidays.

Grimacing, Remus said, "They aren't all happy, but they are safe. Umbridge is…she's a horrible woman, but they've been able to at least contain the damage that she's done."

The two men paused at the door to the library. Sirius had asked them to come up when Bill arrived. Sirius had a stack of books next to him and was making notes on the sheaf of parchment next to him.

Remus was still unsure what had been the catalyst for Sirius's change, but he couldn't deny there had been a change. Sirius was continuing to work out four to five days a week and Remus hadn't seen him drinking since the holidays. With the judicious use of Polyjuice Potion, Sirius had been able to obtain a wand and last week he'd even gone out on a mission with Remus and Bill. Looking up Sirius greeted the two wizards. "Remus, Bill, come in."

Walking over to the table, Remus grabbed the chair across from Sirius while Bill sat at the end of the table between the other two men.

"What are you working on?" Remus asked.

Sirius looked down at his notes pensively. "Remus, what do you know about…about that night?"

Keeping the surprise out of his voice, Remus said, "What night?"

"The night that…James and Lily died," Sirius replied softly.

Bill shifted uncomfortably, but looked on silently while Remus sat back in his chair and dragged his hand through his hair. "I know that Harry hears that night when he gets too close to Dementors. He's told me what he's heard. James…he tried to hold Voldemort off to give Lily and Harry a chance to run for it. I don't know exactly why, but Voldemort told Lily to step aside."

He laughed bitterly. "As if Lily would willingly step aside and just let him kill Harry. She stood in front of his cot and…" His voice trailed away as his eyes filled with tears.

Sirius listened in silence. When Remus finished the story, Sirius looked up with tears shining in his eyes as well. "So Voldemort…tried to kill Harry and was struck by his own killing curse, right?"

Remus nodded as he drew a ragged breath. "Yes."

"So how did Voldemort survive?" Sirius asked. He continued without waiting for an answer. "I listened to Harry describe Voldemort's rebirth. When Voldemort was talking to his followers, he said something about the steps he'd taken to avoid a mortal death."

"What does that mean?" Bill asked speaking for the first time.

"That's what I've been wondering." Sirius scooted a book closer to Remus and Bill. "This talks about Horcruxes. Do you know what those are?"

Bill gasped while Remus shook his head. "Merlin, is that what you think he did?" Bill asked.

Remus glanced between the two men. "What are Horcruxes?"

Sirius indicated a section in the large book titled _Secrets of the Darkest Arts_. Sirius and Bill waited in silence while Remus read the section about Horcruxes.

After Remus finished reading, he looked up at Sirius with a horrified look on his face. "Is this what Voldemort did?"

Bill looked over at Sirius who replied, "I think so, but I want your opinion."

Sirius gestured around the library. "My family was obviously into Dark Magic. While there are ways to prolong life, most of them are complicated and not entirely reliable. I've been looking through my father's collection and Horcruxes make the most sense."

He looked over at Bill. "What do you think?"

The curse breaker nodded thoughtfully. "A Horcrux would explain how he survived the killing curse and would be consistent with the 'rebirth' Harry described."

"So can he be killed now?" Remus asked.

Sirius sighed, "I'm not sure. I wonder if he only created one or he created more. Bellatrix once boasted about 'special' items her Dark Lord had collected. At the time, I thought it was just Dark Magic, but now I wonder if he created more than one Horcrux."

"More than one? Merlin!" Bill whispered. "I can't imagine being so…evil that you would risk splitting your soul once much less more than once."

Sirius chuckled humourlessly. "Voldemort is pure evil. Trust me; I don't think he would have a problem with that."

Looking over at Bill, Sirius asked, "What do you know about the diary that Ginny used during her first year?"

A dark look crossed Bill's face. "Not much, my parents did not want to talk much about it and they didn't want me to talk to her about it. All I know is that it was an old diary of Voldemort's that somehow possessed her…"

"Merlin," Bill broke off, looking ill. "You think that was a Horcrux?"

Sirius nodded. "I listened to Harry and Ginny talking about it over the Christmas holiday. The way Harry described the 'memory' of Voldemort physically coming out of the diary and the way he was taking over Ginny. I can't find any description of possession that matches her experience."

"I don't know enough about what happened to Ginny to even make that judgement," Bill said unevenly.

Throwing a sympathetic look at him, Sirius described what he'd overheard about Ginny's first year. The other two looked sick as they listened to the horror the memory of a teenage Voldemort had inflicted on Ginny.

Bill looked up with tears in his eyes. "I hate to say it, but I agree that the diary might have been a Horcrux."

"Maybe that was the only one," Remus said hopefully.

Bill shook his head. "No, that couldn't be, because then he wouldn't have been able to come back after…Harry destroyed the diary."

"Do you think that Dumbledore knows about this?" Remus asked.

A dark look crossed Sirius's face. "I don't know. Dumbledore has not been very helpful or forthcoming. He…he tried to keep me cooped up here and even once we made the Polyjuice Potion he didn't want me going out on missions. Harry said something over the holidays about Dumbledore ignoring him. I don't know exactly what is going on with Dumbledore, but I don't know that I completely trust him."

Bill blew out the breath he'd been holding. "I have to say…I have trouble with some of the things that have happened. A Basilisk and Dementors, my siblings shouldn't know about such things, at least not so intimately."

* * *

Harry watched the Gryffindor Quidditch practice longingly as he jogged around the lake. As the weather had started warming slightly with the coming of April, he had started jogging outside. Once he had returned from Christmas break, he had begun working out in the Room of Requirement. Sirius had promised he would keep working out as long as Harry did, so Harry had diligently worked out at least three times a week since January. The pressure of upcoming O.W.L.s was starting to get to the 5th years and he wished he still had the distraction of Quidditch. He saw a flash of red and watched Ginny dive in pursuit of the snitch.

He watched her until he needed to look to see where he was going. To his delight, Ginny had broken things off with Michael at the beginning of April. He really wanted to ask her out, but he was nervous. Hermione had said Ginny had gotten over him, so would she even be interested in going out with him? He knew he needed to do something, as he was not the only one who noticed how amazing Ginny was. He remembered grinding his teeth last night to keep from saying anything as Dean tried to put his moves on Ginny. Thankfully, Ginny did not really seem interested in Dean.

A flash of white caught his attention as Hedwig dipped down in front of him. She had started following him as he jogged, he didn't mind as she kept him company. Since Hedwig had been injured in the fall, he had been very hesitant to use her to send any messages. To make up for that, he made an effort to visit her in the Owlery at least once a week. After all she was the only one who kept him company while he was at the Dursley's. She had even started visiting him his dorm room from time to time, sometimes even sleeping on a perch he'd put up for her.

After he completed his circuit around the lake, he finished his work out with a series of lunges, push-ups and sit ups. When he was done, he turned to look at Hedwig who had settled on a bush near him.

"Hey, girl."

Hedwig flew over and landed on his outstretched arm. Harry ran his fingers down her feathers. "What do you think I should do about Ginny?"

He laughed at the look Hedwig gave him. "I know I should just ask her out, right?"

Hedwig hooted.

Harry leaned back against grass and looked up at the sky. "Hermione said Ginny was over me, but we have so much fun together. She is so easy to talk to and she is so beautiful."

He groaned. "I'm pathetic aren't I?"

Hedwig nudged his hand with her head. He ruffled her feathers idly. "Hey, girl, wouldn't it be great if we could spend the whole summer with Sirius? I mean…not just because I don't want to spend the time with the Dursleys, but imagine spending all that time with Sirius. He said we could fix up his old motorbike and he would teach me to ride."

Rolling over on to his stomach, Harry reached out to play with Hedwig, musing out loud as he did so. "I wonder if Ginny likes motorbikes?"

* * *

Harry was in the loo brushing his teeth when he heard a voice behind him. "Hey, mate. Do you know where Ron is?"

Without glancing up Harry shook his head. After he spit the toothpaste out of his mouth, he said, "No, George. I think he had some Divination homework to finish up for this morning."

As he straightened up, Harry saw George in the mirror behind him still standing in the doorway. "What's up?"

"How did you know who I was?" George asked, watching him strangely.

Harry blinked in confusion. _What was George playing at now? _"Well, I've known you for five years. We play Quidditch together and I've stayed at your house quite a bit."

"No, I mean, you didn't even look up and you knew I wasn't Fred. Even my mum looks at us first to see who we are. How did you do that?" George demanded.

"Oh." Harry thought about it. "I think it's your magic. Everyone's magic feels a little different to me and you and Fred have different magic."

George studied him for a moment, "You can feel everyone's magic?"

Harry's heart sank a little. Was this another way he was different? "You can't?"

"No, mate. I've never heard of anyone feeling people's magic before." George replied.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Great. Yet another weird thing about me."

George laughed, "You wouldn't want to be normal, would you?"

Harry didn't respond as he tried to brush his hair into a slightly neater fashion. George came a little closer, "Hey, Harrykins. Do you need to shave?"

Blushing Harry put down his brush, unsure of how to respond. He knew he needed to shave, but the one time he tried all he managed to do was cut himself.

A flash of compassion crossed George's face as he realized that Harry had probably never had anyone teach him to shave. He reached into the cabinet under the sink. Every bathroom was set up the same, and the elves kept a supply of extra toiletry items for those who ran out of forgot theirs. Rummaging under the sink, he pulled out a new razor and can of shaving cream.

Without a joke or sarcastic comment and with a patience Harry would not have expected of him, George taught Harry how to shave. Once Harry was freshly shaved, he turned to George, "Thanks."

With a laugh and a wink George replied, "Hey, that's what big brothers are for."

Harry watched in stunned silence as George left the room, the feeling that he was not as alone as he thought warmed him up. Quickly, he made his way into the dorm and pulled on a clean shirt. As he was straightening his tie, George popped his head back in the door, "I forgot. Charlie sent an Easter letter to us." He tossed it to Harry who caught it one handed. "Read it and pass it on to Ron and Ginny."

* * *

Harry ran around the corner with Ginny closely on his heels. When he realized he could no longer hear Madam Pince yelling, he stopped short then stumbled forward as Ginny ran into him. He steadied her and as he looked down at her, he could not help but start laughing.

Ginny joined him as Harry's school books that had been chasing them fell around them. She knelt on the floor and helped Harry gather up his books.

He wiped tears from his eyes as he said, "Ginny, I haven't laughed this much in forever. Thanks."

She smiled up at him, "You are welcome. I promise I will talk to my brothers as soon as possible."

Harry nodded. For the first time since Snape pulled him out of the Pensieve, he felt hopeful. Maybe if he could talk to Sirius, he could make him feel better about that horrible memory he'd seen in the Pensieve.

As he looked down at Ginny, he couldn't help but think that even as windswept and muddy as she was, she looked amazing. Her hair had fallen out of its normal ponytail and was tangled around her shoulders. Her mud streaked uniform looked much better on her, than he was sure it had ever looked on him.

He haphazardly shoved his books into his bag and helped her to her feet. As he looked down at her he felt an almost overwhelming urge to kiss her. Before he could act on that urge, the sound of laughter made him look up. A group of fourth year Hufflepuffs turned the far corner, headed towards the library.

Ginny took a step back. "We should be getting back to the common room."

Swallowing his disappointment, Harry agreed. "Yeah, I better make sure that Hermione remembers to eat tonight."

* * *

Harry looked up from his homework and smiled at Ginny, who dropped into the seat next to him. "I haven't gotten a chance to thank you for…everything."

She smiled and glanced around to make sure no one could hear them. "You're welcome. Were you able to talk to Sirius?"

Harry's face fell slightly. "Yeah, I talked to both Sirius and Remus."

Ginny opened her notes while she waited patiently. She knew from talking to Hermione that Harry had not shared with anyone the reason he wanted to talk to Sirius. After a few minutes of silence, her patience was rewarded.

"Gin, do you think that people can change?"

Ginny looked over at him and considered the question. "If they want to, I think they can. Why?"

Harry looked down at the table, "During my last Occlumency lesson with Snape, I…I saw a memory of Snape's. He got called out of the room and …I saw this Pensieve. I know I shouldn't have, but I went over and looked at it. He always took out certain memories prior to our lessons and I guess I was curious. I didn't mean to fall into his memory, but once I was in…It was during his O.W.L.s. He was in the same class as my parents and Sirius and Remus. I was so excited to see them, so I followed my dad."

He fell silent for so long that Ginny wasn't sure that he would continue. She made as little noise as possible trying to encourage him to continue. Just when she thought he was going to shut down completely, he continued.

"Ginny, it was horrible. My dad…picked on Snape just because they were bored and because they didn't like him. They…ganged up on him and made fun of him. Just like my cousin used to do to me. And my mum…she hated my dad. You should have seen it…she just looked at him like he was…I don't know." His voice trailed away.

Ginny put her hand on his arm, "What did Sirius and Remus say?"

"They…they said that he could act like a jerk sometimes, but he was a good man." He laughed bitterly. "They tried to say that he was only fifteen, but…I'm fifteen. I just…I wish I knew them so I would know that they changed or my parents actually fell in love." His voice dropped to a whisper as he finished, "I just never thought I would feel sorry for Snape."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into the great hall at lunch time and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione were still bickering about Ron not keeping up his Transfiguration homework.

"Hermione, I keep telling you. It is just not fair that they keep giving us homework when we have our O.W.L.s coming up in less than a month."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "How will you learn if you don't do the homework?"

Harry nodded to Neville as they sat down. Ignoring his bickering friends he grabbed a few sandwiches and a handful of crisps.

"Hi, Neville. How's it going?" Harry said, continuing to ignore Ron and Hermione.

Suppressing laugh Neville said, "Okay. I can't wait for the O.W.L.s to be over."

"I know," Harry replied. "In some ways I'd rather just take them now and get them over with."

"You can't mean that," Ron interjected, having finished his argument with Hermione.

Harry laughed. "Well, I guess not really. I just want them to be over. I'm tired of revising."

As Harry finished up his sandwich, Ginny hurried up to the Gryffindor table. Even from a distance, Harry could tell she looked upset.

"Ginny, what's wrong?"

"Harry…I need your help. Can you come with me?" Ginny asked.

Standing up, Harry grabbed his bag and turned to others. "I'll meet you in Charms."

He followed her out to the entrance hall and was surprised when she led him out onto the grounds. He asked again, "Gin, what's wrong?"

With a slightly unsteady voice, Ginny replied, "I just had Care of Magical Creatures."

As Harry waited for her to continue, she led him to the field near Hagrid's hut. "Hagrid was talking about serpents. He had three big snakes in a pit and he was telling us about them."

She turned to look at him and Harry was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "I could understand some of what the snakes were saying. Why could I understand them?"

Harry swallowed, "I don't know."

They came to a stop by the pit to which Ginny had been referring. Harry peered into the pit. As Ginny had said there were three large snakes in the pit; a grey and black adder, a large python, and a hooded cobra. They were coiled around each other hissing.

Ginny hung back a little. "We were in class and Hagrid was telling us about each of them. I heard them hissing and at first it didn't register with me, but I could understand them saying they were hungry."

Harry nodded and looked back at the snakes, feeling a little foolish he said, "Hello."

The snakes stopped coiling and looked up at him. The python replied, "How do you speak our language?"

Shrugging Harry replied, "I don't know. I just can."

He chanced a look back at Ginny. "Do you understand what he said?"

She shook her head.

The adder slithered up to the edge of the pit, "Is she your mate? She was with the group of humans that were looking at us."

Harry blushed. "No, she's a friend of mine. Her class was learning about snakes. You remember her?"

The adder nodded. "Her flame hair is very distinctive."

He laughed and looked back at her. Ginny looked between him and the snake. "What?"

Harry gestured towards the snake, "He remembered you from class. He says your flame hair is very distinctive."

Ginny blushed, but started laughing. "Great, even snakes notice my hair."

"Human," the cobra hissed, "can you get us some food? The giant man was supposed to bring us some rats, but he has not come back."

"Hagrid?" Harry said. "I'll go see. He should be in his hut. He wouldn't forget about you, I promise."

The sound of a snapping twig caught Harry's attention. Thinking it was Hagrid, Harry turned smiling. "Did you bring any rats? These snakes are hungry."

"Really, Mr. Potter." Harry froze at the sight of Umbridge with her Inquisitorial Squad arrayed behind her.

Taking advantage of his surprise, she continued. "Speaking Parseltongue is considered a Dark Art. You and Miss Weasley have been found consorting with Dark creatures and are summarily expelled from this school."

Harry backed up so he was standing next to Ginny. He reached out for her hand. "Ginny wasn't doing anything, she shouldn't be expelled."

"Not so, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said with her phony smile. "Mr. Malfoy heard her confessing that she understood what the snakes were saying."

She turned to her Inquisitorial Squad who had used the time to surround the young couple and said, "Take their wands. We'll take them up to the castle and let them be humiliated in front of the whole school."

Draco was in the lead and with a malicious look in his eye he yelled, "_Expelliarmus!"_

Harry managed to get a shield charm up in time to prevent their wands from being taken. He stood back to back with Ginny, trying to figure out a way out.

The Inquisitorial squad looked at Professor Umbridge for direction. She gestured to the couple who had managed to work their way to one side. "Get them."

A barrage of spell fire rained down on Harry and Ginny's shields, but they held firm. Harry looked around nervously. With the amount of spells being sent their direction, he was not able to drop his shield long enough to go on the offensive.

He pulled back so he was slightly behind Ginny. "Can you hold the shield?" he murmured in her ear.

She nodded and with that, Harry opened up on the Slytherins facing them. He managed to stun Theodore Nott and Gregory Goyle. He heard Umbridge yell, "Concentrate on the girl!"

To his horror he heard Draco yell, _"Crucio!"_

Without stopping to think about it, Harry dove in front of the curse that was headed towards Ginny. Pain lanced through him, but to his relief it was not the paralyzing pain that he had experienced in the past. Maybe it was a matter of practice? The sound of Ginny screaming his name drove that thought from his mind.

Fighting as hard as he could, Harry broke away from the curse and rolled to his feet. Taking the advantage, Harry yelled, _"Impedimenta!"_

He pulled Ginny with him and took off running across the grounds. He could feel the heat of spell fire shooting past them and heard Umbridge shouting directions at her squad. Most of them were positioned closer to the front gate, so Harry took off in the other direction.

He felt the sting of a cutting curse rip across his shoulders and upper back, but he kept running. They had to dodge the curses coming from behind them, but Harry and Ginny were both in good shape so they easily pulled in front of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Parkinson. With a split second to decide, Harry pulled them into the Forbidden Forest. Cursing softly as both of them tripped and ran into low hanging branches, the pair ran until they could hear no sound of their pursuers. Harry motioned for Ginny to stop. The two of them leaned against a tree panting, trying to catch their breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Did they hurt you?"

"No," Ginny replied shakily. "They didn't hurt me. I just have some scrapes and bruises. What about you? Why on earth would you dive in front of the Cruciatus?"

Harry just looked at her for a moment, before he replied, "Ginny, you don't seriously think I would let them hit you with the Cruciatus if I could help it, do you?"

Looking around, Harry tried to get a sense of where they were. He was afraid that they were headed towards the Acromantulas' lair and he really didn't want to run into them again.

"We need to get out of here," Harry said. "I really don't want to go any further into the forest.

Ginny nodded, "I can't believe they expelled us. If they catch us, they will snap our wands."

"We can't let that happen," Harry said. Using the Point Me spell he had learned for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he led the way to the edge of the forest.

He could hear calls in the distance and Umbridge and her group searched for Harry and Ginny. The Inquisitorial squad had been joined by Filch and what appeared to be most of the Slytherin upperclassmen.

"Where are we going?" Ginny whispered. "I don't think we'll make it back to the castle or the front gate."

"We're heading for the Whomping Willow," Harry whispered back. "I know it seems strange, but I need you to trust me."

"Of course," Ginny replied.

"I'm going to cast a Disillusionment Charm on us. I'm not that great with them, but I think I can do it well enough to get us to the tree," Harry explained as he pulled his wand.

Together they headed off for the Whomping Willow. As they neared the tree, Harry picked up a small stone and threw it at the tree hitting the knot that froze the tree.

Ginny gasped in astonishment and Harry shot her a grin. "Cool, huh?"

He led the way into the tunnel and threw another stone to reactivate the tree. He and Ginny headed down the tunnel into the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

As the bell rang announcing the end of Charms, Ron stood and looked over at Hermione. "Where is Harry?"

"I don't know. Are you sure he didn't sneak in the back?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"No," Ron replied. "I looked and I didn't see him."

Before they had even left the classroom, Umbridge's magically magnified voice echoed through the castle. "All students will report to their common rooms, immediately. This is an official notice to inform you that Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley have been expelled from Hogwarts. They have been found guilty of performing Dark Arts. Any student found helping them will also be expelled and facing time in Azkaban. Any student with information on their whereabouts will report it immediately."

There was a momentary silence followed by an explosion of noise as everyone started talking at once. Ron turned to Hermione and Neville. "What the bloody hell was that about?"

It was a sign of how upset Hermione was that she didn't even comment of Ron's language. "I don't know. I can't imagine what they would have been doing that would be considered a Dark Art."

A whistle pierced the noise in the classroom. The students looked around and saw Professor Flitwick standing on his desk. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please report back to your common rooms immediately. You can discuss this in the privacy of your common rooms."

The room quickly emptied. As Ron walked past the desk, Professor Flitwick spoke very quietly, "Mr. Weasley, I know this will be difficult for you, but you must remain as calm as possible. I imagine that our Headmistress will have both of their belongings searched. I am confident that no one will find anything that might be considered incriminating in their belongings."

Ron looked confused for a moment, but nodded as he realized what Professor Flitwick was trying to say. Satisfied that Ron understood him, Professor Flitwick continued, "Only a Gryffindor may access your tower, it may take some time to find someone willing to conduct the search. But don't depend on having a lot of time."

Ron hurried out of the classroom and on to Gryffindor tower. Hermione and Neville were standing with Dean and Seamus in one corner. Ron quickly filled them in on what Professor Flitwick had told him.

"Hermione, I can't get up to the girl's side. Can you go through my sister's things and just move anything…that she wouldn't want found?" Ron said.

Angelina Johnson had approached the group and heard what Ron said, turning to Hermione she said, "Come on Hermione. Anything you want to hide we can put up in my dorm, no one would look there."

Turning to his dorm mates, Ron said, "Let's go through Harry's things."

* * *

Ginny turned around in the dusty boarded up room. There was no intact furniture in the room, whatever had been there was torn to pieces. Bits of wood and fabric were scattered all over the dusty floor.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The Shrieking Shack." Harry replied as he led the way up the stairs. Ginny stared at him in astonishment. "The Shrieking Shack?"

Harry laughed. "Yeah, Remus used to use it when he transformed while he was in school. The Whomping Willow was planted over the entrance so no one would accidently wander in here."

"So who else knows about this?" Ginny asked nervously as they reached the top of the stairs.

Harry led the way into a bedroom before answering. There was a large bed against the far wall and a wardrobe was the only other piece of furniture in the room.

"_Scourgify."_

It took several strong cleaning charms to rid the room of the dust and cobwebs. Looking at the newly cleaned mattress, Ginny made a face. She looked over at Harry. "Can you try a spell?"

He nodded. "Sure. What is it?"

"It's a spell to conjure up fresh sheets," Ginny explained. "My mum uses it sometimes when we need an extra set of sheets. The problem is, they don't last long. Your spells are generally more powerful than mine, so I'm hoping your sheets will last longer than mine."

Nodding, he attempted the spell. One his third attempt, he was pleased to see a set of dark green sheets on the bed. The two quickly made up the bed. Harry sat down on the edge, he patted a spot next to him to indicate that Ginny do the same.

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Madam Pomfrey, and of course Sirius, Remus and Wormtail know about this place," Harry replied answering her earlier question. "Damn, when I say it out loud, it's a lot more people than I thought it was. We can't stay here for long, but I figured we could at least make a plan here."

Ginny sank down on the bed next to Harry, by this time it was late afternoon. "Does she really have the authority to expel us?"

"I think so," Harry replied gloomily. "She is the Headmistress. Is speaking Parseltongue really considered a Dark art?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past Umbridge and Fudge to pass a law saying it is," Ginny answered.

Harry got up and started pacing restlessly, he walked over to the boarded up windows and peered out.

"Bloody hell," He whispered.

"What?" Ginny joined him at the window and gasped when she saw Lucius Malfoy striding through the streets of Hogsmeade.

* * *

Ron stood looking at his best mate's bed for a moment before opening Harry's trunk. His heart sank when he saw the silky Invisibility Cloak on top of the trunk, he had hoped Harry had it on him. He pulled it out and set it aside as he continued through his best friend's belongings.

Guilt lanced through him as he realized how little Harry actually had. Ron had always felt envious of Harry's wealth and fame, but as he rummaged through Harry's pitiful belongings, Ron realized that Harry did not have much. A short stack of letters joined the Invisibility Cloak along with the Marauder's Map and the photo album Hagrid had made for Harry during his first year. Ron turned over a badly wrapped gift that to his surprise was to Harry from Sirius. _Why hadn't Harry opened it?_

"What about these books?"

Ron started as he looked over at Neville who was going through Harry's shelves. "What?"

"These books," Neville repeated. "He has a lot of extra books on Defence. I imagine that Umbridge would use them as proof of Harry's guilt."

Ron nodded. "You are probably right."

A sound in the doorway made the boys look up. To their relief, it was Colin Creevey in the doorway.

"What's up Colin, are they here yet?" Ron asked as he turned back to his task.

"No," Colin replied. "I wanted to help. You can put anything you find of Harry's in my room. I don't think they would look there."

Ron looked assessingly at his sister's friend. "That would be great, Colin."

Grabbing the small pile of personal belongings, Ron turned to Neville. "Have you got everything?"

Neville nodded while Dean gave Harry's belongings a second look through. Dean shook his head. "He doesn't have much does he?"

Looking down on the pile of second hand clothes and school robes, Ron was forced to admit that he had much more than Harry. He caught sight of a jumper at the bottom of the trunk. "Dean, grab the jumpers my mum made Harry. I don't want them getting their hands on them."

Dean nodded and grabbed the jumpers, placing them in his own chest of drawers. Neville and Ron followed Colin to the fourth year boys' room. Neville cast a simple spell on the books to make them appear to be photography books. Ron nodded his approval, "Great idea, Neville."

The boys charmed the rest of Harry's belongings to blend in with Colin's and then went down to the common room to wait.

* * *

Angelina rummaged through Ginny's trunk.

"Just grab any letters or pictures," Hermione said as she went through Ginny's nightstand. As she opened the last drawer, she found what she was looking for. There were several stacks of letters. Hermione grabbed them and flipped through them. She recognized Mrs Weasley's writing, but most of the handwriting she did not recognize. She thought it must belong to Bill or Charlie. To her surprise, she saw a few she recognized as Sirius's writing.

Angelina held up a small box. "I'm taking this up to my room."

"What is it?" Hermione asked curiously. It just seemed to be a box of parchment.

"It's her treasure box." Angelina replied. When Hermione still looked mystified, Angelina said, "You know for special keepsakes. She has a Quidditch program and some flowers. There is a note to her from Harry. I don't think she'd want just anyone to see it."

"Oh, okay." Hermione grabbed Ginny's photo album off the top of her nightstand. "I think this should go up also."

Angelina nodded and the two girls headed up to Angelina's room. Angelina cast a spell to disguise Ginny's belongings and scattered them among her things.

The two girls made their way back to the common room.

Hermione gave Ron a tentative smile as she told him what they had done. Ron nodded and whispered, "He doesn't have his cloak or the map."

The thought struck both of them at the same time and they hurried up to Colin's room. Ron opened the map and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

As the map unfolded, the pair scanned it for a sign of their missing friends. Ron scanned the section of the grounds that seemed to contain every Slytherin upperclassman, but he didn't see either Harry or Ginny's name.

Hermione sat back with a sigh, "I don't know if I'm relieved or disappointed that I don't see their names."

"I know," Ron whispered. "I hoped to find them, but at least we know they haven't been caught."

Ron deactivated the map and stowed it on Colin's desk. The two of them made their way back down to the common room. To Ron, it felt eerily similar to the day three years earlier when he'd heard his sister had been taken to the Chamber of Secrets. He and his friends sat in silence watching the afternoon sky fade into evening.

The sound of the portrait opening caused everyone to look. The soft hum of conversation halted as Professor McGonagall and Percy Weasley entered the room. Percy did not spare a glance for his brother, but headed straight up the stairs of the boys' dorm with the Professor following him closely.

Ron almost smiled when he heard his brother's bellow of rage. Percy flew back down to the common room. "Where are Harry Potter's belongings?"

"Didn't you find them?" Ron asked.

"All I found was some old clothes and school books." Percy raged, "Where are the rest of his things?"

"What else do you think he has?" Ron asked scornfully.

"_Accio Harry Potter's belongings!"_ Percy yelled.

After a short pause, Harry's trunk flew down the stairs followed closely by his school books. A quill and magazine flew over from a chair by the fireplace. Ron hid a smile when he realized that their charms had worked. All of Harry's private belongings remained hidden.

"_Incendio!"_

Ron gasped as his brother set fire to Harry's clothes.

"Mr. Weasley!" Professor McGonagall tried to put out the flames, but the magical heat had already destroyed Harry's clothes.

Percy turned to his former Professor. "Someone needs to get Ginny's things."

Professor McGonagall drew herself up and replied evenly, "When your parents come, I will be happy to release her belongings, but until then they will stay where they are."

She nodded approvingly at Ron before she followed a visibly angry Percy out of the portrait hole.

* * *

Harry flopped back down on the bed, he winced as his back hit the mattress. Ginny caught the look on his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine." He replied.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You'd say that if you were bleeding to death in front of me. What's wrong?"

Harry sat up slowly, "I ache a little from the Cruciatus. I think that must be one of those spells you need to practice, because his isn't nearly as powerful as Voldemort's."

He was busy shrugging off his robes so he did not see Ginny's look of horror at his casual comment. She gasped when she saw the blood stains on his shirt. "Harry, why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

Without replying, he pulled off his shirt. He winced as the dried blood pulled away from the wound left by the Cutting curse. He felt the bed dip as Ginny climbed on the bed behind him. A moment later he felt her light touch on his back.

Ginny bit her lip; she didn't know any healing spells. The wound crossed his back and upper shoulders. It was fairly deep on one side, but looked to be only a scratch on the other as if the curse was applied unevenly. She looked around the room to see what she could use to clean the wound. The only remotely clean cloth was his shirt, but that was blood stained on one side and Ginny didn't want to ruin his only shirt. His robes had borne most of the brunt of their flight through the forest, but she might be able to use part of that to clean his wounds.

"Harry, I'm going to need to use your robe." She said as she reached for the garment.

He nodded his understanding and she ripped a few strips off the bottom.

"_Aguamenti!"_ Ginny sprayed the strips of cloth with water from her wand. Harry watched her curiously.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked. "I've never heard of that spell."

Ginny started to gingerly clean his cut. "Bill showed it to me when we were working in Mum's garden. It's really quite a handy spell."

A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Oh Merlin, are we going to get in trouble for using magic?"

"No, I don't think so. Ron and Hermione and I used magic here in our third year. I think maybe it is so close to the school, they can't tell if we do magic here." Harry replied.

He winced as she finished cleaning out his cut.

"Harry, why don't you lay down? We'll rest here tonight and in the morning we'll try to figure out what to do," Ginny said softly.

He reached out his hand as she started to move away from the bed. "Thanks, Ginny."

Her eyes started to fill with tears. "You shouldn't be thanking me. It's my fault you got into this mess."

Turning onto his side, Harry pulled Ginny down onto the bed next to him. She resisted at first, but eventually let him draw her down next to him. She curled into his side trying not to cry. Harry looked down at her helplessly for a moment, before he wrapped his arms around her.

"Gin, it's not your fault. That cow Umbridge has been trying to get me for something since the beginning of the year. She wouldn't have stopped until she found something to pin on me," he said softly. "That little ponce, Malfoy, must have been following us."

Ginny struggled to calm down as she listened to his words. As if sensing that it was working, Harry continued in the same low voice. "We'll rest here tonight and tomorrow we'll slip out into Hogsmeade. We'll find some way to get back home, either to the Burrow or London."

Nodding, Ginny let her head fall onto his shoulder. She lay listening to the steady beat of his heart and feeling the warmth of his breath on her hair. She couldn't help but feel that if she had to be stuck in a situation like this, it was better to be with Harry. The two teens drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Bellatrix Lestrange looked up when her brother-in-law entered the study.

"Yes? What news do you have?" she asked.

"According to Draco, Potter and his little girlfriend were expelled for speaking Parseltongue. He isn't sure how they managed to escape, but they fled into the Forbidden Forest. McNair and I checked around Hogsmeade and no one has seen them," Lucius replied.

"Interesting," A cold voice came from the doorway.

"My lord," Bellatrix and Lucius intoned deferentially bowing as they did so.

"Rise," Voldemort said as he glided into the room. He seated himself behind the large desk and watched his faithful followers for a moment.

"Bella, talk to the people on the Knight Bus. Make sure that Potter did not take it and that he cannot take it in the future."

Bellatrix nodded and quietly exited the room. Lucius Malfoy waited patiently for his master to speak.

"Come Lucius, we are off to Hogwarts. I want to speak to these snakes and see what happened." Voldemort rose and left the room with Lucius Malfoy following in his wake.

* * *

Bellatrix Apparated to the outskirts of Hogsmeade and flagged down the Knight Bus. As the tall purple bus pulled up in front of her, the doors opened. The pimply faced, gangly teenager leaned out.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus."

Before he could get any further, Bellatrix stepped out of the shadows with her wand drawn. She smiled evilly at the look of terror on his face.

"How many passengers do you have, boy?"

"Bella – Bellatrix Lestrange." The boy seemed horrified as he stared at her. He didn't seem to even notice when her companions swept past him onto the bus.

Bellatrix played with her wand as she watched the boy. "How many passengers do you have?"

"Fi-five," he stuttered.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She laughed.

Her playful demeanour disappeared and she held her wand on him. "Have you seen Harry Potter tonight?"

"No."

"Have you picked up any teenagers tonight?" She asked.

"N-no."

"See, it's not so hard to answer my questions, is it?" Bellatrix said. "Have you picked up anyone in Hogsmeade or anywhere around Hogwarts?"

"No. This is the first time we've stopped in Hogsmeade tonight," The boy replied.

A scream rent the air and the relaxed air the boy had adopted fell as he looked fearfully back into the bus.

"_Crucio!"_

Screams filled the night air as the Death Eaters took their frustration out on the passengers of the Knight bus. At a signal from Bellatrix, the passengers and crew of the Knight Bus were killed. The lucky ones were killed with the Killing Curse.

Bellatrix was the last one off the bus. She stepped over the mangled bodies of Stan Shunpike and the old driver, Ernie. Blood was pooling around their bodies and starting to drip down the steps of the bus. With a laugh, Bellatrix Apparated away. On her master's orders she did not leave a Dark Mark, but she did leave a trail of death and destruction behind.

* * *

Dolores Umbridge sat down behind her desk with a smile on her face. She had finally gotten rid of Potter. When sending the Dementors after him over the summer had not worked, she was afraid she would be stuck with him all school year. She was disappointed that Weasley had not managed to find anything in Potter's belongings to further incriminate him, but that fact that she had heard him speaking to the snakes should be more than enough to send him to Azkaban. She wasn't sure how he had managed to escape, but she was confident that it wouldn't be for long.

A knock on her door caused her to look up. "Come in."

She gasped in surprise when Lucius Malfoy stood in the doorway.

"Mr. Malfoy," She simpered. "What an honour. May I ask what you are doing here?"

Lucius gave her a cool look. "I understand from my son that you had some excitement here today."

"Yes, indeed. Harry Potter has been expelled from Hogwarts," she replied with satisfaction.

Lucius stared at her for a moment before saying, "I would like you to accompany me to where this took place."

Dolores looked at him in confusion. She really did not want to go back out there in the dark, but one did not turn down Lucius Malfoy. "Of course."

The mismatched pair made their way out onto the grounds. Dolores watched him out of the corner of her eye, she wanted to say something witty, but Lucius Malfoy intimidated her.

As they walked across the dark grounds, Dolores could see a tall thin figure standing by the snake pit. She cast a glance at Lucius, but he did not seem surprised to see another person out there.

A frisson of fear stole down her spine as she heard a cold, high voice speaking to the hissing serpents. It was the same language that Potter had spoken earlier, but this was a much different voice. She glanced over at Malfoy and saw him deferentially waiting for the other man.

"Lucius."

"My lord," Malfoy responded. Dolores froze when she realized who the tall man must be. _How could it be? Potter had been correct all along?_ She wanted to flee, but realized that would get her nowhere.

"Apparently Potter's little girlfriend understood a word or two of what these serpents said during class. She got scared and brought him down here to talk to them. He spoke to them for a few minutes, but she couldn't speak Parseltongue and didn't understand more than a word or two."

Turning to face the waiting pair, Voldemort looked at Dolores Umbridge for the first time. He ignored her whimper of fear and said to Lucius, "The girl, she is the same girl with the diary?"

"Yes, my lord, Ginny Weasley." Lucius replied quickly. He did not want to think back to how angry the Dark Lord had been when he discovered how his diary had been used. Lucius had become well acquainted with his master's Cruciatus.

"Interesting," Voldemort replied thoughtfully. He looked back at Dolores. "Where did they go?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered. "We-we had them surrounded, but when D-Draco used the Cruciatus on the girl, Potter dove in front of it. H-he managed to break away and they r-ran into the forest. W-we couldn't find them."

"_Crucio!"_

The two men watched dispassionately as she writhed under the torture curse. Breaking it off, Voldemort said to her, "If I wanted him expelled, you would have known that by now. I wanted him where I could keep track of him."

Voldemort locked eyes with Dolores, freezing her in place. With a sound of disgust, he released her a moment later. Waving his wand, he released the serpents.

"_Kill her,"_ He hissed at them.

Lucius stepped away as the trio of serpents slithered to Dolores. The powerful python surged around her legs holding her in place while the two other snakes attacked. Her screams rent the air as she was repeatedly bitten by the two venomous snakes.

* * *

Harry woke screaming. The pain in his head was intense. It felt as though his head would explode. Leaning over the side of the bed, Harry vomited, quickly emptying his stomach. Laying back he felt weak and shaky, covered in a cold sweat. He lifted a hand to his scar and quickly pulled it away when he felt a thick sticky coating on his scar. Looking at his hands he realized his scar must be bleeding.

The soft hand on his shoulder made him almost jump out of his skin. "It's just me, Harry."

Harry relaxed as he recognized the soft whisper of Ginny's voice. He felt a cool sensation on his face as she wiped his face with the part of his robe.

"Harry, do you know the vanishing spell?" She asked quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Harry took the proffered wand and muttered, _"Evanesco."_

To his relief the spell worked, vanishing the mess he had made on the floor. He opened his eyes and looked at her, to his relief she wasn't horrified or disgusted with him. She just looked concerned.

"It was Voldemort," he said quietly. "H-he killed Umbridge."

Ginny gasped, "You could see it, l-like with my dad?"

Harry nodded wearily. "Yeah, for some reason, I can sometimes see what he's doing. It's been happening since last summer…the summer before actually. Once he started getting stronger."

"Does he know where we are?" she asked nervously. "Can he see what you're doing?"

Harry leaned back against the mattress, "I don't think so. If he could see where I was, he could have attacked us at Sirius's house. Maybe he doesn't know that I can see things."

Ginny relaxed against him. "We'll get out of here in the morning. We'll find my parents or Sirius."


	3. Chapter 3 The Underground Railroad

**A/N:** Thank you for all of the positive reviews and encouragement! I really appreciated it. Thank you once again to my beta - Ministry Malcontent for his hard work.

* * *

_**May 25 – 26, 1996**_

Albus Dumbledore listened in horror as Minerva McGonagall described the events of the past twelve hours. It was now eleven in the evening. Minerva had summoned him back to the castle when she'd learned of Umbridge's death.

Umbridge had not died an easy death. Madam Pomfrey estimated she had been bitten at least a dozen times. The python had done his part and crushed her rib cage. Albus stared down at the scene of the crime, the full moon illuminating the body. To his surprise, the snakes were once again secured in the pit.

Seeing his surprised look, Minerva explained, "They were sitting next to the body almost docilely. I wonder if maybe whoever did this told them to wait."

Albus nodded abstractly. Drawing his wand, he cast a series of complex spells. He frowned as he interpreted the results.

"What is it?" Minerva asked nervously.

"No Dark Magic was used, the spells used were simple spells. She was petrified, the lid to the snake pit was opened and that was all," Albus replied. He looked around the scene. The snakes had obliterated much in the way of footprints or any physical clues the attackers may have left behind.

"So what does that mean?" Minerva asked.

"I know of only two wizards in the world who speak Parseltongue and could have commanded these snakes to kill Professor Umbridge," he began wearily. "I would like to think that Voldemort did this, but why would he? Why would he sneak on the grounds of Hogwarts and kill Professor Umbridge? If he did, why didn't he shoot the Dark Mark up into the sky?"

Minerva looked at her old friend in growing horror. "You can't think that Harry did this."

Albus sighed. "I don't want to think that, but there is something I haven't told you. I believe that there is connection between Voldemort and Harry. This is how he was able to see the attack on Arthur. I am afraid that Voldemort may be able to use this connection to his advantage. He may be able to influence Harry's actions."

He gestured to the body at their feet. "Harry has had several well-documented confrontations with Professor Umbridge and he is a Parselmouth. We know that he was here on the grounds. We have to face the possibility that Harry may have snapped when he and Miss Weasley were expelled. It is possible that Voldemort may have been able to influence Harry's actions. Until we can find him, we will not know for sure what happened."

"I'm sorry Albus, I don't think that Harry would have done such a thing. What about Miss Weasley? Do you imagine she stood by while Harry killed Dolores?" Minerva asked bitingly.

Their conversation was interrupted by a silvery wolf. "Albus, we need you on the north side of Hogsmeade right away. We are on the main road past Dervish and Banges."

* * *

Tonks picked her way carefully through the Knight Bus. Blood pooled in the centre aisle of the bus.

"How many did you find up here?" Kingsley asked.

"Three," Tonks answered softly. "It looks like a couple was travelling together and an older wizard was over in that bed."

He nodded. "There are two younger wizards downstairs, possibly brothers, plus the conductor and driver."

"Merlin!"

Tonks and Kingsley looked up as a strangely pale Dumbledore peered in at the destruction.

"Albus, thank you for getting here so quickly," Kingsley said as he picked his way over to the older wizard's side.

"What happened here?" Albus asked.

"We aren't certain," Tonks said. "There are five passengers and the two wizards who worked on the bus – all dead. Three of them were killed by the killing curse, the others were tortured or stabbed to death."

"I've asked around and no one knows who stopped the bus," Kingsley explained. "It is closer to the school than the town. I believe whoever stopped the bus chose this spot because it is so isolated."

Albus nodded.

"There is no Dark Mark, so we don't know if it is the work of Death Eaters or who did this," Tonks said. "I spoke to Minerva earlier and she said that she didn't know of anyone leaving the school who may have flagged down the bus."

"Albus, is there any way that Potter could have done this?" Kingsley asked hesitantly. "I hate to think it of him, but Minerva told us what happened. He may have summoned the bus and they refused to let him on."

"What?" Tonks exclaimed. "You didn't tell me that is what you were thinking."

"I know you like him, Tonks, and he is a likeable kid. He's been through a rough time. Maybe he just snapped," Kingsley explained.

Albus sighed. "I don't know. Did Minerva tell you about Umbridge?"

Kingsley nodded. "Fudge is going to be all over us to discover who killed her."

"She was killed by three snakes and Harry is a Parselmouth," Albus explained reluctantly. "I have been concerned about this connection between Harry and Voldemort. I fear it is possible that Voldemort is somehow controlling Harry's actions."

Tonks gasped. "Merlin, is that even possible?"

"Voldemort controlled Miss Weasley during her first year through the use of a magical object. She not only set a Basilisk on her fellow students, she killed Hagrid's roosters as well," Albus explained. "So he can force people to do things they wouldn't normally do."

Kingsley whistled softly. "I really hope that Harry didn't do this. It would kill Sirius."

Nodding, Albus agreed. "I know, but there is nothing to be done about it now. We need to find Harry and Miss Weasley."

"I would imagine they would head to the Burrow or Grimmauld Place," Tonks said.

"I agree," Albus replied, "but I can't let them in if one or both of them are under Voldemort's control."

"What are you going to do?" Kingsley asked.

With a sigh Albus explained, "Emmeline is very gifted at Charms. I am going to have her perform the Fidelius Charm on the Burrow and recast the charm on Grimmauld Place. I hope that if I limit the number of places they can go, they will return to Hogwarts."

"What about his relatives?" Tonks asked.

"I will inform them as well," Albus said wearily. He looked up at the night sky. "Perhaps I will wait until morning to talk to them."

* * *

Grimmauld Place was eerily quiet when Bill arrived in the early morning hours. He hurried up from the basement kitchen to find Sirius.

Knocking on Sirius's bedroom door, Bill was relieved to find he woke rather easily. "Sirius, I need to talk to you."

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius jumped out of bed. "Remus spent the night last night, he's down the hall. Shall we get him?"

Bill nodded and within five minutes the three wizards were huddled around the large wooden table in the basement kitchen. Bill took a sip of his hot apple tea before he looked up at the other two.

"Professor Dumbledore came to the Burrow last night with the news that Ginny and Harry had been expelled by Umbridge for using Dark Arts."

He ignored the cursing from the other two and relayed the events of the night to the other two. When he finished, Sirius looked devastated.

"But he hasn't been caught, right?" Sirius repeated.

"No, we don't know where they are," Bill reiterated. "It's probably a good thing, because they are wanted for questioning in both Umbridge's murder and the massacre on the Knight Bus."

"I don't understand how Dumbledore thinks Harry may be responsible," Remus said. "Harry is a good kid. He has a bit of a temper, but I can't see him killing anyone."

Bill sighed. "Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort may have more of a hold on Harry than we realize."

"So what does he think Ginny was doing while Harry was busy committing these murders?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"He isn't certain," Bill explained. "She could be under the Imperius, so she could have helped him or just stood watch for him." He looked at Sirius before continuing. "He is very concerned about the security risk that Harry and Ginny may pose. He put my parent's house under Fidelius and recast the Fidelius here."

"What?" Sirius was outraged. "How can he cast a Fidelius on my house without my permission?"

"Apparently, because he was already Secret Keeper, he did not need your permission to recast the Charm." Bill replied uncomfortably. He handed a scrap of parchment to the other two.

Sirius glanced at the note that declared the Headquarter of the Order of the Phoenix was located at 12 Grimmauld Place. His first impulse was to destroy the note, but reigning in that impulse, he stuck the note in his pocket. "So now Harry and Ginny have nowhere to go. How does that help?"

"Dumbledore thinks that will force them to go back to Hogwarts," Bill said. "That way he can see what damage may have been done."

Remus snorted. "He doesn't seriously think Harry will come back to Hogwarts?"

"He is counting on it," Bill replied. "My parents are headed to Hogwarts to talk to my brother and Professor McGonagall."

"I'm coming," Sirius and Remus said in unison.

Sirius glared at Remus when he turned to him. "Don't even try to tell me I can't be there for my godson. We still have some Polyjuice Potion."

* * *

A noise woke Harry suddenly. Lifting his head, he looked around searching for the source of the noise.

"Gin, are you okay?"

Reaching over he put his hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him. His heart turned over when he saw the tears on her face. He pulled her close. "Ssh, please don't cry."

He was afraid he'd said something wrong as she started crying harder. Terrified of saying the wrong thing, he just held her tightly and brushed a kiss on top of her head.

Slowly, she calmed down. "I'm sorry, Harry. I don't usually cry so much."

"It's okay, Ginny," Harry said as he peered down at her. "I just…I want to make you feel better and I don't know what to do."

Ginny laughed and hugged him. "You always make me feel better."

Relaxing slightly now that she wasn't crying, Harry sat up cross-legged on the bed and put his glasses on. Ginny sat across from him. She wiped her eyes on the handkerchief Harry handed her and smiled.

"What should we do?" Harry asked.

A cloud passed over Ginny's face. "That's what I was thinking about, actually. H-harry, I can't remember where my parents live."

"What? They live…" Harry trailed off as he realized that he couldn't remember where the Weasleys lived either. His eyes went wide as they met hers. "Why can't we remember?"

"I can't remember where Sirius lives, either," Harry said in a panicked voice.

"What happened? Did they do something to our memory?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied after thinking about it for a few minutes. "I knew where Sirius lived last night and we haven't seen anyone since then."

"They m-must have put them under the Fidelius Charm," Ginny realized. "Bill explained it to me after we moved to Sirius's house."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," Ginny replied. She stood and wandered over to the window. "It's getting light out, we should get out of here."

Harry stood, stretching as he did so. He still felt grimy and beat up from their run through the forest. Looking around the room, he transfigured a beat-up stool into a bucket. "Gin, can you do that water spell again?"

Nodding, Ginny filled the bucket with water. Using his hands, Harry awkwardly cleaned up as best he could. Ginny splashed water on her face and cleaned her hands and arms before digging into her school bag. She retrieved a hair brush and quickly brushed and plaited her hair.

She looked over at Harry, his once clean shirt was torn and bloodied and his robes were in even worse condition. Sighing, Ginny pulled her own torn robes over her head. "We can't wear our school robes out there, but we need to find something for you to wear."

Harry grimaced as he dug through his bag, unfortunately he didn't have anything he could remotely wear. To his dismay, he realized he didn't have his father's cloak or the map either. Walking over to their make-shift bed, he dumped his bag onto the bed. Ginny followed suit and the two of them quickly sorted through their meagre belongings. They piled up their books, parchment, and quills. Ginny had a paperback novel, her hairbrush and a few hair ties. Harry was relieved to see that he had his Gringott's key and moneybag with him.

"Should we take our books?" Ginny asked.

Peering at the titles, Harry replied, "I don't think Divination or Care of Magical Creatures will help up much. We'll take my Transfiguration and your Charms books with us."

Sighing, he looked at his shirt. "_Tergeo_."

He was gratified to see that the shirt cleaned up fairly well.

"So what should we do?"

Harry turned to look at Ginny. She looked somehow young and vulnerable. Without thinking, he held out his arms. As she walked into his embrace, he pulled her close. "We'll get through this somehow."

She nodded against his chest. "I know."

He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "I don't know what is going to happen, but whatever happens we will get through it together."

Ginny tightened her arms around him briefly before pulling away. Harry immediately missed her warmth.

"So should we try to catch the Knight Bus?" Ginny asked, hoping she wasn't blushing too badly.

"I don't know," Harry said thoughtfully. "I think she would have told them we were missing by now. They will be expecting us to head to London or … wherever your parents live."

"Devon," Ginny said slowly. "I don't know exactly where they live. I can remember being in the house and being in the yard, but I can't put the two together."

Harry nodded slowly. "I can remember Ron's room and I remember flying around an orchard." He looked up. "Don't you live near a town?"

"Yes, Ottery St. Catchpole." She looked over at him hopefully. "Could we go there and look around?"

"No, that's not how the charm works," Harry explained gently. "We won't be able to see the house unless the Secret Keeper tells us where it is. We could walk right past it and never see it."

"Maybe we should head north," Ginny wondered aloud. "If they are looking for us to head south, we could head up to Inverness and see if we could contact someone."

"That is a good idea," Harry said. He peered out the window again. He was surprised at the number of people who were flooding the streets of Hogsmeade at this early hour. To his dismay a great number of them were wearing Auror's robes. "Ginny."

She looked out on the street. "That's probably not a good sign, is it?"

"No," Harry said surveying the scene. "I'm sure that Umbridge reported us as soon as she got back to the castle yesterday. I'm surprised she isn't down here herself. I wish I saw Tonks or Kingsley out there, they might be able to help us. If the Aurors catch us they'll snap our wands."

"I'm not great at glamour charms," Ginny said, "but I can do a little."

With Harry's encouragement, Ginny managed to change her hair brown on her second attempt. Once that was accomplished she turned to survey Harry, "I'm not sure what I should do. I need to cover your scar and it would be best to change your hair and eyes, but I've never tried to do so much."

Harry laughed, "I've never tried to do any of it, so better you than me. How do you know this stuff?"

"_Witch Weekly_ always has easy Glamour Charms for teens and I've used a few with my roommates before," she explained. "We sometimes try out different looks."

To her delight and Harry's relief, she was able to cover his scar on her first try. His hair and eyes were harder, but after several tries she managed to lighten his hair a bit and change his eyes to a muddy brown.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked nervously.

Ginny nodded and the young couple joined hands as they left the temporary safety of the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

Hermione looked up as Ron made his way down to the Common Room. "Have you heard anything?"

"How would I have heard anything, Hermione? I've been sleeping." Ron replied irritably. That wasn't entirely true, he had not slept well worrying about both his sister and his best mate.

Neville had joined them by this time. "Let's head down to breakfast."

The three of them silently made their way downstairs. To their surprise, Umbridge was not already sitting at the head table. Professor McGonagall was there looking as worried and worn as Ron felt.

Hermione had just taken some toast and cereal when the morning owls flew in with the mail. She gasped as she opened the _Daily Prophet_.

"What?" Ron asked.

With a shaky hand, she spread the front page of the paper out so Ron and Neville could see it as well.

**Massacre on the Knight Bus. Under Secretary Umbridge Murdered.**

**Harry Potter, Murderer?**

By Leo Cregg

**Late yesterday afternoon, Harry Potter and his girlfriend, Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley were expelled from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for performing Dark Arts. Mr Potter and Miss Weasley somehow evaded the staff attempting to disarm them and escaped yesterday afternoon. **

**Dolores Umbridge reported discovering the young couple speaking Parseltongue. The ability to speak Parseltongue has not been classified as a Dark Art, but Minister Fudge defended the ruling saying, "The fact that this young man felt the need to converse with three deadly snakes is in and of itself suspicious. The expulsions stand. Harry Potter has shown a history of unstable and bizarre behaviour. His recent unsubstantiated claims show how desperate he is for attention. It is sad that he felt the need to draw a young girl into his web of lies and deceit."**

**As if that weren't bad enough, late last night, Dolores Umbridge was found dead at the edge of the very snake pit where Harry Potter had been discovered conversing with the snakes. Madam Umbridge, a faithful and dedicated Ministry worker, had been bitten multiple times by both the deadly adder and cobra as well as crushed by the huge python. The three serpents sat unnaturally docilely next to the body waiting for the body to be discovered. A source close to the investigation reported that no dark spells were used in her death. The only spells used were simple spells that any fourth or fifth year student could perform. Harry Potter, as the only known Parselmouth in Britain, is a person of interest in her death.**

**Shortly after the discovery of her death another more gruesome scene was found on a lonely road outside of Hogsmeade. The Knight Bus was found with all of the passengers and crew dead. The two crew members were killed with the killing curse while most of the five passengers showed signs of torture prior to death.**

**No suspect has yet been named, but a source close to the investigation reported that many are convinced Harry Potter is responsible. One possible scenario is that Mr Potter and Miss Weasley summoned the Knight Bus, but were refused passage. It is possible that in a fit of rage over refused passage on the bus they killed the passengers and crew.**

**The Ministry maintains that the young couple is extremely dangerous. Do not approach them on your own. If you spot them, please notify the Ministry immediately.**

Hermione looked up with tears in her eyes. "Merlin, what happened?"

"That is a question we all need an answer to, Miss Granger."

Turning Hermione was glad to see Professor Dumbledore. "Sir, what-"

Professor Dumbledore held up his hand to forestall her questions. "We have no news other than what has been reported already. Would you and Mr Weasley join me in my office?"

For once Ron didn't complain about not getting enough to eat, he jumped up from his seat and the pair followed Professor Dumbledore to his office. He was confused and upset by the article: Dark arts, murder. That wasn't the Harry he knew. There had to be another explanation. The other thing that was bothering him was the article calling Ginny Harry's girlfriend. She wasn't his girlfriend, right?

* * *

Harry gripped Ginny's hand tightly in his as they made their way towards the high street of Hogsmeade. Aurors were clustered around the Hogsmeade Station so the young couple turned down the street and headed past Honeydukes. To Harry's dismay, he saw more Aurors as well as some photographers on the road headed out of town. Looking around, he led Ginny into Gladrags.

"We need to get a change of clothes and I need a few minutes to figure out what to do," Harry whispered as they entered the store.

Although it was early, a witch in her early twenties and an older witch were already out shopping. Harry walked over to the window overlooking the street while Ginny quickly headed over to the small selection of Muggle clothing carried by the shop.

To his relief, the other two witches quickly finished their shopping leaving Harry and Ginny as the only customers. He had seen the witch behind the counter before, she was a pleasant friendly witch in her early forties. She was watching the two of them, but not so Harry felt uncomfortable.

Harry walked over to Ginny, who handed him two t-shirts and a pair of jeans. He noticed that she had chosen similar clothing for herself. Nodding Harry added a jumper for each of them. Together, the two of them made their way to the counter.

"Did you find everything you need?"

Harry nodded as he pulled out his moneybag. Instead of taking his money, the clerk looked at him searchingly. "You are the two they are looking for, aren't you?"

Harry froze. Should they run for it? His wand was in his back pocket, could he pull his wand before she called for help?

"Wait," she said. "I can help you."

The young couple exchanged a look. Ginny asked, "Help us? Why?"

Glancing around the shop, the clerk grabbed their bags and gestured for the couple to follow her. As he followed, Harry eased his wand out of his back pocket so at least he was armed.

The back room was filled with racks of clothes. Along one wall was a long work bench filled with bolts of fabric, thread, as well as measuring tapes, scissors, and an open cupboard overflowing with scraps of fabric, buttons, and various other accessories. To Harry's relief, he saw a door that he hoped led outside. Two doors on the other wall were open. Harry saw an empty office and in another room, there was a mangler similar to the one he'd seen at the Burrow.

Returning his attention to the witch, he waited for her to explain. She glanced around the room before saying, "You are Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, right?"

Harry nodded cautiously.

"Did you kill Professor Umbridge?"

"What?"

"We didn't kill anyone!" Ginny burst out.

The witch nodded. "I didn't think you would have. The papers are claiming that not only did you kill Professor Umbridge, you killed seven people on the Knight Bus."

Harry swallowed heavily. "They think we killed people. Why?"

Wordlessly, she handed the morning paper. Harry's hand shook as he read the article. Looking up he saw how scared Ginny looked. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms. Tightening his arms around her, he looked at the witch who was watching them carefully. "We didn't do anything. I did talk to the snakes and Umbridge expelled us, but that is all. I couldn't let them take our wands. Voldemort is back and he will come after me again. We ran and were planning to try to get back home today."

"I read your interview in the _Quibbler_," the witch explained. "I didn't think that you were a murderer."

She paused, "My name is Sarah Anderson. I can help you."

Looking at Harry she said, "I knew your mother. She was a few years behind me at Hogwarts, but we were in the Charms club together."

"You knew my mum?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Sarah smiled. "I did. You have her eyes you know."

He nodded. "I hear that a lot. I look like my dad with my mum's eyes."

"You do indeed," Sarah replied. "During the war we were part of a group that helped the Muggle-born and others targeted by You-Know-Who's regime. We would smuggle them to a safe house and move them out of the country. I am still in contact with some of the old members. We've been afraid that we will be needed again and have started to reform our network. I can get you to a safe house if you would like."

Harry looked down at Ginny belatedly realizing that she was still in his arms. Blushing, he stepped back. He thought she might have looked a bit disappointed, but he couldn't pursue that now. She gestured with her head towards the wardrobe. The two moved over to that side of the room.

"What do you think?" Ginny whispered.

"I say we go with her," Harry replied. "I don't know that I trust her entirely, but I don't know how else to get out of Hogsmeade. There are Aurors all over the place and if they think we killed all of those people…I don't know what else to do."

Ginny bit her lip. "I think you're right. We will go with her, but we'll need to keep our guard up." She smiled shyly. "Constant vigilance, right?"

* * *

Remus and Bill waited nervously at the gates to Hogwarts with a Polyjuiced Sirius, who currently looked like a slim, blond, twenty-something young man. It was a subdued Hagrid who met them at the gate.

"Bill, Remus." Hagrid greeted them.

"Hagrid, what the hell happened here yesterday?" Remus burst out as they made their way towards the castle.

Hagrid sighed. Remus was surprised to see how worn and beaten Hagrid looked. Under different circumstances, Remus would have inquired about Hagrid's injuries, but now his focus was on Harry.

"I'm no' sure," Hagrid replied wearily. "It was after my late morning class – fourth year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. I was showin' em some snakes. I didn' notice Ginny durin' class. I mean she didn' say nothin'. Fer some reason her and Harry came down ter the snake pit durin' lunch. Umbridge heard Harry talkin' ter the snakes and expelled the two of 'em for Dark Arts."

"You don't know why they went down there?" Remus asked.

"No, I had gone in the forest," Hagrid explained. "I came back after everythin' happened. Umbridge tol' me they disappeared in the forest, but I couldn't find no sign o' them."

As they reached the castle, Hagrid said, "I need ter be gettin' back ter search the forest. They're in the Headmaster's office."

"Thanks, Hagrid."

As they watched Hagrid head off towards his hut, Sirius turned to Remus, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Remus nodded and the two of them hurried off towards the Whomping Willow with Bill trailing behind them. As they reached the old willow, the two older wizards waited outside the reach of the tree's limbs for Bill to catch up with them.

"Why are we here?" Bill asked in confusion. He had enough experience with the two over the past year not to dismiss any ideas out of hand.

Neither of them answered, but Sirius picked up a good sized smooth stone. He almost laughed at the look on Bill's face when he threw the stone at the tree hitting the correct spot on the tree. "Come on, Bill," Sirius said. "We'll explain once we're there."

Sirius felt his spirits rising slightly as they headed up the cramped tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. He hoped that Harry had thought to take shelter in the Marauders' old haunt. Memories flooded over him as they traversed the tunnel. It was times like this when he really missed James. He prayed that James and Lily were watching over them.

"Is this the Shrieking Shack?" Bill asked in amazement as they entered the house.

"Yes," Remus replied. "I used this for my transformations while I was in school. This is also where we confronted Wormtail in Harry's third year, so he knows how to get in here."

"They were here," Sirius called as he reached the bedroom upstairs. The three wizards entered the room. Sirius felt a frisson of fear as he picked up Harry's torn and bloody robes.

In an instant, Sirius transformed into Padfoot. With his more sensitive canine nose, he easily picked up the scent of his godson. Bill scooped up the bloodied robes and other belongings left behind by the young couple and the two men followed Padfoot to the front door. Looking out cautiously, they made their way out into the crowded street.

Padfoot led the way past Honeydukes and the post office. He hesitated as they reached a cross street, looking up at Remus he barked.

"What?" Bill hissed.

"I don't think he knows where they went," Remus replied. Walking over towards the buildings, he peered in Gladrags. He could see the clerk and several customers. Moving on he ducked into Scrivenshafts, but the shop was empty. As he exited back onto the street, he noticed Bill crossing the street from the other side.

"I checked over there, I don't see anyone," Bill replied.

"I don't either," Remus said. "I guess that is a good sign."

Padfoot started barking and suddenly took off up the street. Remus and Bill ran behind him, but lost sight of him as he turned the corner. The two wizards were stopped at a barrier manned by three Aurors.

"I'm sorry," the closest Auror said holding up his hands. "No one past the barrier."

"I understand," Remus said. "It is a tragedy what happened last night."

The Auror nodded. "That's an understatement. I've never seen anything like it." He shook his head. "I have a hard time believing a couple of kids could have done that."

Remus almost smiled in relief, maybe not everyone was automatically condemning Harry.

The Auror continued, "We'll be moving the bus later today and the road will be reopened."

"Do you know what they are doing about the bus?" Bill asked. "I mean, what if someone hails the bus in the meantime?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I heard something about a back-up bus, but I don't think it is up and running yet."

"Okay, thanks for your time," Bill said.

He heard barking as Padfoot reappeared from out of the brush. Following Padfoot again, the two wizards quickly made their way back to the Shrieking Shack. Once inside, Sirius transformed.

"I lost their scent as we neared the shops," Sirius said sadly. "But it wasn't their scent near the Knight Bus."

"You got that far?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded, "It was horrible, there's blood all over the place. I don't know how anyone can think that Harry did that. It was a massacre."

"We need to get up to the school," Remus said.

Though he would never admit it, Ron was glad to see his mother. He tolerated her hug with more grace than he usually did and greeted his father. Ron and Hermione sat down with Ron's parents, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.

"Mr Weasley, what can you tell us about what happened yesterday?" Professor Dumbledore began.

Ron shifted uneasily at being the centre of attention. "I don't really know. We were at lunch – me and Hermione and Harry – and Ginny comes up and says she needs to see Harry. He gets up and leaves with her."

"She seemed upset," Hermione offered when she realized Ron had nothing more to offer.

"Did she ask Harry for help specifically or did he offer to help her?"

"She asked Harry for help," Hermione replied promptly.

"She didn't say what she needed help with?"

"No, ma'am," Hermione said. "She just asked for his help and he jumped up to help her. He said he'd see us in Charms, but of course we didn't see him again."

Before the interrogation could continue, there was a knock on the door. Ron was surprised to see his oldest brother, Professor Lupin, and another man he didn't know. He stayed quiet while the newcomers were caught up on what had been discussed.

"Where were they last seen?" Professor Lupin asked.

"We are not entirely certain," Professor McGonagall answered uneasily. "Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad confronted the two of them near the serpent pit. We believe they were chased through into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid has been searching, but he has not found any sign of them."

"Ron."

Ron turned to look at his mother as she explained the Fidelius Charm. His father, as Secret Keeper, let Ron, Hermione, Remus and his friend know where the Burrow was located.

"Where will they go?" Hermione asked anxiously. "I don't understand."

Professor Dumbledore answered, "I am afraid that Voldemort may have more influence over Harry than we realized. If he does, I don't want him to be able to wander into either headquarters or the Burrow."

"You think he did it, don't you?" Hermione said accusingly.

Her words startled Ron, he looked for Professor Dumbledore to deny the accusation. To his dismay, he did not.

"I am afraid he may have," Professor Dumbledore admitted. "He is a known Parselmouth and he had a grudge against Professor Umbridge. He does have a temper. If Voldemort was influencing him, I am afraid he may have snapped."

"That is insane!" burst out the blond man. "Harry is a good kid. He may have a bit of a temper, but he would never murder someone."

"How else do you explain the facts, Sirius?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Voldemort is a Parselmouth, he is quite well versed in killing people," Sirius replied sarcastically. "He could have killed her and been responsible for the Knight Bus killings. Surely you don't think Harry and Ginny killed all of those people of the Knight Bus?"

"I don't want to think that," Professor Dumbledore replied heatedly, "but why would Voldemort kill Umbridge? He has been laying low since his return, I can't see him coming to Hogwarts to kill a relatively unimportant Ministry witch. As much as I don't like to think that he would, Harry could easily have killed her and under Voldemort's influence killed those on the Knight Bus."

Ron looked over at Hermione. He was glad to see she looked as shocked as he did. He watched as the man he now knew was Sirius turned his back on Dumbledore. Ron had to admit, it scared him a bit to see them fighting. He agreed with Sirius, he didn't see Harry killing anyone.

"So Ginny had class with Hagrid, then she went to Harry to ask for his help, correct?" Remus asked quietly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, she didn't say why."

"Something about the snakes must have spooked her," Bill said. "She's been nervous around snakes since her first year. She must have wanted Harry to talk to them for some reason. I didn't realize they were such good friends."

"They aren't," Ron said. "I've never seen them talking."

"They do talk, but I didn't think they were that close, either," Hermione added.

Sirius snorted. "Are all of you blind? They are good friends. Over Christmas holidays they would talk a lot at night. They both have problems with nightmares."

"What?" Ron burst out. "He never said anything."

"I don't think either of them wanted to advertise that they were still having such bad nightmares," Sirius said.

"How do you know about it?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "I never noticed Ginny having nightmares."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't sleep that well at night either. I would talk with them."

"What is being done to find them?" Mrs Weasley asked anxiously.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "The Ministry is already looking for them. Fudge is on the warpath, he is flooding Hogsmeade as well as London with Aurors in an effort to find them. He has spoken to the Muggle Prime Minister and the Muggles will be on the lookout for them as well."

"But what about Ginny?" Mrs Weasley asked anxiously. "She couldn't have done any of this. She is not a Parselmouth so she didn't do anything wrong. What are the Aurors going to do when they find them? She won't be sent to Azkaban, will she?"

Sirius glared at her, "Harry shouldn't be sent to Azkaban either, Molly. Neither of them did anything wrong."

"You don't know that, Sirius," Mrs Weasley shot back. "If he is under You-Know-Who's control, he might not know what he is doing."

Sirius exchanged a look with Bill and Remus, "I do know he didn't do it. They spent the night in the Shrieking Shack. They were gone by the time we got there, but look." At a gesture from Sirius, Bill showed them Harry's bloodied robe. "He was hurt. No one mentioned that."

Professor Dumbledore's eyes widened, "The Shrieking Shack? I didn't think of that."

He eyed the bloodied robe before Summoning it from Bill. "This is evidence. We don't actually know that he was injured. All we know is he was covered in blood. I will give this to Kingsley Shacklebolt. They can determine whose blood in on the robes."

"What?" Sirius was outraged at the continued slurs against his beloved godson.

"How do we know he didn't do anything to Ginny?" Molly asked anxiously. "If he's not in his right mind, he might hurt her."

"Sirius, Molly, please. I know this is difficult." Professor Dumbledore broke in. "We need to concentrate on getting them back, then we can discover what happened. Both Kingsley and Tonks are part of team investigating the Knight Bus murders. They will keep us informed as to their progress. Alistair and Hestia will be looking for them as well."

Professor McGonagall stood. "Molly, Arthur, if you would like Ginny's belongings, I will take you to her room."

"What about Harry's things?" Sirius asked, obviously still angry.

Professor McGonagall faltered, "Sirius, I…Percy Weasley came to search Harry's belongings yesterday. He became angry at the lack of items and he…well he set fire to Harry's trunk."

"What?" Sirius yelled.

"Sirius," Ron interjected, "we hid most of his stuff. His photo album, letters, books, and his dad's things, we hid them in with other people's stuff."

"Ginny's, too," Hermione explained. "We hid her letters and other personal items in case Professor Umbridge came to claim them."

Sirius calmed slightly upon hearing that most of Harry's belongings had been saved. "Thank you, Ron."

The group left the Headmaster's office in an uneasy truce. The way Sirius kept glaring at Molly, it was obvious that her comments were not going to be easily forgotten. Once they reached the portrait hole, Professor McGonagall gave the password and the group entered the now empty Common Room.

"Good, everyone seems to be in class," she said. "That will make this easier." She turned to Ron. "Mr Weasley, if you will take Sirius and Remus to get Harry's belongings, I will take your mother to get your sister's belongings."

Ron nodded and headed over to the boys' dorms. "We hid his stuff in the 4th year boys' room."

After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, Ron entered the room and hurried over to Colin's area. "_Finite Incantatem."_

To Ron's relief, Harry belongings were immediately visible. He hadn't been sure what he would do if that charm hadn't worked. He grabbed up Harry's stuff and handed it to Sirius.

An almost pained look crossed Sirius's face as he took the Invisibility Cloak. Conjuring up a bag, Sirius gently placed all of Harry's belongings inside.

"I have his Weasley jumpers that my Mum made him up in our room," Ron said.

Nodding, Sirius followed Ron up to the 5th year room. "That's his bed," Ron gestured to Harry's bed.

Heading over to Dean's wardrobe, Ron pulled out all of Harry's jumpers and gave them to Sirius. He looked around the dorm room a bit uneasily. "I'm really sorry about Percy. He got so angry and he just set everything on fire."

"Don't apologize for your brother," Sirius said gently. "You did your part to be a good and loyal friend to Harry. I hope for your parents' sake that Percy sees the light before it is too late. I know what it's like to be at odds with your family and it is not fun."

Ron just nodded and he and Sirius headed back to the Common Room where Remus and Bill were waiting for him.

Looking around, Ron asked softly, "What happens now? Harry won't come back here if he thinks his wand will be snapped."

Sirius sighed, "I'm not certain. I hope he will be able to figure out a way to get in touch with us." He smiled at his godson's best mate. "Thanks for everything, Ron. If you hear anything, anything at all, please let me know."

"I will," Ron promised. As the three men turned to leave the common room, Ron called out, "What about Hedwig?"

"I'll get her," Sirius said with a smile.

* * *

Sarah smiled at the two teens before her. "Good, I'm glad you'll let us help you. I told my boss I had a family emergency so we will be leaving in a few minutes."

They nodded and she continued, "The first thing I have to do is a spell that hides your identity. It will make it so you can't be tracked by owls, scrying, or any other magical means."

"Have you had to do this much?" Harry asked nervously.

Sarah smiled reassuringly, "We developed this spell during the first war. Your mother actually helped develop it before she and your father went into hiding. Since the first war, we've used it a few times to help those escaping abusive marriages."

Glancing at Ginny, who nodded, Harry said, "Okay."

Pointing her wand at Harry, Sarah intoned, "_Deletus Identitatus_." A shimmering light engulfed him briefly and she repeated the spell for Ginny.

Once the spell had been cast on Ginny she tried a location spell. "Point me Ginny Weasley." Her wand spun in circles. "Excellent, it worked."

Picking up her bag, she said, "Let's go."

To Harry's surprise, she led them out the back door to a beat-up old yellow Peugeot. Opening the back door, she handed them a large blanket. "Cover up with this."

Nodding, Harry climbed into the back seat and once Ginny joined him, they managed to lie down on the seat and cover the two of them with the blanket.

"I'm putting some bags of clothes and accessories on top of you," Sarah said. Once she'd thrown in the bags, she cast notice-me-not charm on them.

Climbing in the car, she headed off. As she reached the end of the road, she was stopped at a road block. The Auror held up a hand and she stopped the car.

"Good morning, ma'am. May I ask where you are going?"

Sarah grimaced, "I have to be honest; these killings really upset me. I'm heading home for the day." She glanced behind her. "Please don't tell my boss, I told her I had a family emergency."

The Auror smiled, "Don't worry. I need to check your car."

Sarah nodded, "Of course. I certainly understand."

She bit her lip as the Auror cast several spells on the car. He looked at her. "Okay ma'am. You are free to go."

"Thank you." She quickly drove off.

Harry lay stiffly for the first part of ride unsure of how he should act. He didn't want to make Ginny feel uncomfortable. They kept bumping into each other until finally Harry cautiously wrapped his arm around her. She slowly relaxed against him and the two of them fell asleep.

It seemed like quite a while later that he woke. Sarah was pulling the bags and blankets off of them. "Hello, ducks. We've made it to Inverness."

The teens sat up and looked around. Sarah had pulled off into a car park, but it was obvious they were in a Muggle town.

Harry struggled out of the back seat and reached out a hand for Ginny. They followed Sarah into a building.

"What is this?" Ginny whispered.

"It's a hair salon," Harry whispered back.

Sarah obviously having overheard them turned, "We are going to change up your look. I cancelled your glamour charms in the car so our hair stylist can get an idea of what might work."

Harry nodded. Ginny looked between the two of them, "Okay."

Sarah smiled, "It will be okay, loves. The next few days will be rather rough, but it will be okay."

"Wait," Harry said suddenly. "You aren't going to separate us, right?"

"It would be easier," Sarah said cautiously as she looked between the two of them.

"No," Harry said firmly. "We stay together. Besides, Ginny is a Pureblood witch. She's never been in a Muggle home before, she would be lost."

Ginny nodded. "Please, don't separate us."

Slowly, Sarah nodded. "Okay, we will keep you together. We will think of some story to account for the two of you being together."

* * *

The afternoon was a blur for Ginny. She'd never had her hair professionally cut before so she was initially a bit intimidated by the whole process. She loved the feeling of having someone else wash her hair, but she was quickly lost as the stylist brushed out her hair and started talking to Sarah about colouring and cuts.

Hannah, the stylist, turned back to Ginny. "I am going to darken your hair to a caramel brown colour with lighter honey undertones. Then I'm going to cut it shoulder length and layer it around your face."

She saw the distressed look on Ginny's face. "I know it is a big change, but we need to make you look different. Have you always worn your hair long?"

Ginny nodded. "My mum would just cut it a bit when it got too long. I usually just pull it back in a ponytail or plait it."

"Okay, I'm glad you mentioned that," Hannah said as she started brushing out Ginny's hair and separating it into different sections. "You will want to avoid ponytails. When people are looking for you, they tend to look at hair colour and hair style. We want to change both so people are discouraged from taking a closer look."

"I understand," Ginny said quietly.

As she sat in the chair, listening to Hannah chatter on about her favourite band and listening to a Muggle radio, the enormity of what she was doing suddenly hit Ginny. She was making herself unrecognizable; not only to her enemies, but also her family and friends. She blinked back tears determined not to start crying again. She looked across the salon were Harry was getting his hair done as well.

His messy black hair was gone and instead it was a lighter brown than hers, almost a sandy blond. The stylist working with him had gelled and spiked his hair. Ginny smiled, she liked that look. He looked across the salon at her and smiled. A feeling of warmth spread through her and suddenly she didn't feel quite so alone.

A few moments later, Harry walked over to her. "Ginny, Sarah is going to take me to get my eyes checked and I'm going to get different glasses and maybe some contacts."

"How long will you be gone?" Ginny asked quietly, a bit of that warmth leaving.

He shrugged. "She managed to get me an appointment so it might be about an hour or a bit longer. She said I should be done before you."

"Okay," Ginny replied.

Smiling he reached out and touched her shoulder. "It will be okay, Ginny. Sarah said after we're done here we'll get something to eat."

It seemed to take hours for Hannah to dye and highlight her hair. After a while Ginny decided that Muggle music wasn't really that different from magical music, but she was getting tired of having someone mess with her hair. Finally Hannah brushed through her hair and started cutting and styling it.

Seeing the brown hair hit the floor didn't bother her as much as if it had been her normal red colour, Ginny mused. Twenty minutes later, Hannah said, "Okay, you can look."

Ginny gasped as she looked in the mirror. She looked totally different. "Wow." Reaching up she touched her hair, "It doesn't look like me at all."

Hannah laughed. "It is you. You'll get used to it after a while. Have you ever used a hair dryer?"

"No," Ginny said a bit apprehensively.

"Don't worry," Hannah replied. "I'll show you." True to her word, Hannah spent some time showing Ginny how to dry and style her hair. Once Ginny had been able to successfully use the hair dryer, Hannah asked, "Have you ever worn make up?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, my Mum won't let me."

Hannah smiled. "Okay, this should be fun."

She led Ginny over to another section of the salon. There were shelves with make-up and other beauty products. Sitting Ginny down in front of a large mirror, Hannah showed her how to apply a variety of make-up products and how she could change her make-up to change her look. Ginny was surprised at how easy and fun it was to play with the make-up. The last thing Hannah did was give Ginny a manicure, something else she'd never had done before.

As she stood up and walked to the front of the salon, Sarah and Harry returned.

"Ginny?" Harry was staring at her in amazement.

She nodded.

"Wow, you look great," Harry said as he reached out and touched her hair. "I miss your hair, but you look really nice. You look older somehow."

Ginny giggled slightly, "I think that's the make-up. Hannah showed me how to put on all kinds of make-up." She held up a bag a make-up and other beauty products Hannah had gathered for her.

She looked up at Harry, noticing for the first time he didn't have glasses on. "Your glasses are gone. Can you see?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I have contacts in. In a couple days I'll be able to pick up some coloured contacts so I can hide my eye colour."

"Harry," Hannah came over to join the teens. "I want to see if I can cover you scar with some concealer."

Ginny watched in amusement as Hannah showed Harry how to use make-up to cover up his scar. He seemed a bit scared of the make-up at first, but he learned quickly.

He looked over at her. "You have to promise you will not tell your brothers I'm wearing make-up."

She started laughing. "I don't know, Harry. That seems like some pretty prime blackmail material there."

* * *

Ron sank down on the couch near the fire, his mind racing. He couldn't believe that Harry would have done anything wrong, why was Professor Dumbledore convinced that he had?

"Did you find out anything new?" Neville asked as he cautiously joined his roommate.

"Professor Dumbledore…he seems to think that Harry might have had something to do with Umbridge's death." Even as he said it out loud, it sounded wrong to Ron.

"What?" Neville looked at him in amazement. "Harry wouldn't do something like that, not even to Umbridge."

"I know," Ron said, glad to hear someone agree with him. "I don't understand this at all. He said something about how no Dark Magic was used and all of the spells used were spells that Harry would know. Plus it looks like a Parselmouth talked to the snakes and Harry is a Parselmouth."

"But isn't You-Know-Who a Parselmouth also?"

"Yes," Hermione said as she joined the conversation. She sat down on the couch with Ron. "Professor Dumbledore didn't think You-Know-Who would have had any reason to kill Umbridge, but Harry hated her."

"You-Know-Who is evil, why does he need a reason?"

"Harry could have been possessed," Hermione pointed out hesitantly. "He's been having those dreams and having headaches."

"Hermione," Ron was aghast. "How can you say that? Harry would never do that."

"He wouldn't," Hermione agreed. "But Ginny wouldn't set a Basilisk on me and Colin either, but she did when she was possessed."

Neville looked from one to the other, "Ginny is the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

Ron glared at Hermione. "Yes. Malfoy's dad put an old diary that belonged to You-Know-You in my sister's things and she wrote in it thinking our Mum got it for her. Somehow, it possessed her and made her open the Chamber of Secrets. That was when Harry used Gryffindor's sword and killed the Basilisk."

"Oh, that's what Terry was talking about when we met at the Hogs Head," Neville said.

Ron nodded, "Professor Dumbledore was able to keep it quiet about who it was who opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"Don't worry, Ron. I would never say anything," Neville hastened to reassure his friend.

"Thanks, mate."

"So are you ready to get back to revising?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of silence.

"You are joking, right?" Ron said in disbelief. "My sister and my best friend are who knows where and in all kinds of danger and you want me to just forget about that and start revising?"

Standing, he stormed out of the common room leaving a slightly shocked Hermione and Neville behind.

Neville turned to Hermione. "I don't think that was the best idea."

"I just thought it might be a good way to distract us," Hermione defended herself. "OWLs are still going to be held in a couple of weeks. Revising would be a good way to…"

She broke off as Neville shook his head. "Hermione, revising would never be a way Ron choses to relax. You should know that."

Colour flooded her face. "I know. I…I just don't know what to do or say."

"Just be there for him," Neville said.

* * *

Ginny looked over at Harry as they approached a large semi-detached brick fronted Victorian house. It looked like very posh house like one might find in a magazine. It was rather intimidating. She glanced over at Harry, he looked a bit overwhelmed as well.

As they reached the porch, Sarah reached out and knocked on the door. It was opened almost immediately by a friendly looking older woman. She was a bit taller than Ginny and on the plump side. She smiled at the two tired looking teens.

"Welcome, I am Betty Campbell."

"Thank you, Betty. I am Sarah and these are your new charges."

Ginny noticed that Sarah never mentioned their names as they were welcomed into the house. As the door closed behind them, an older man came down the stairs. He smiled when he caught sight of the teens.

"Hello, welcome to our home. I am Curtis Campbell."

Ginny relaxed slightly at the warmth of the older couple. She'd been worried about who their hosts would be as the afternoon had worn on.

Betty smiled at the pair. "You two look exhausted. Please come into the living room."

They followed the couple into a well-appointed living room. There was a large fireplace on one wall and a large bay window on the adjoining wall. The walls were painted a chocolate brown and there was a large rug covering a hard wood floor. Ginny followed Harry and sat down on nice light brown sofa. She ran her hand over the sofa, it felt almost like dragon skin.

"It's leather, not dragon skin," Harry whispered as he watched her.

"It's nice and smooth," Ginny replied. "It's not as colourful as dragon skin."

Sarah cleared her throat to get their attention. When they looked at her, Sarah smiled at the Campbells. "Betty and Curtis, I want to thank you so much for taking our guests. How much do you want to know about your new house guests?"

Betty leaned forward and looked at Ginny. "How old are you dear?"

"I'm fourteen and he's fifteen," Ginny said.

Betty and Curtis exchanged a look and Betty said, "I think we need to know what is going on. We don't need your names necessarily, but we need to know what happened. Sarah just told us there was a young couple who needed out help."

Harry looked over at Sarah, "Are they…" He trailed off not sure how to ask what he wanted to know.

Luckily Curtis seemed to know what he was thinking, "I'm a Squib and Betty is a Muggle. We know about the magical world, but we don't interact with it at all."

Taking a deep breath Harry said, "Ginny and I were expelled from Hogwarts yesterday. Do you know about Hogwarts?"

Curtis nodded and Harry continued, "They expelled us because I was talking to some snakes."

"You can talk to snakes?" Betty asked curiously. "I've never heard of that ability before."

Harry sighed, "Not many people can talk to snakes and the Ministry has classified it as Dark Magic. The Headmistress is an awful woman who has been looking for reason to expel me because I won't say Voldemort isn't back."

Curtis gasped, "You're Harry Potter."

Harry nodded a bit uneasily. Curtis leaned over to Betty and started whispering, he was obviously telling her about Harry. Betty's eyes grew wide and Harry flushed under her scrutiny.

"You poor boy!" Betty burst out. "It sounds like you need a break. I think you will quite like it around here."

"You don't mind?" Harry asked. "I will be honest, I'm probably not the safest person to be around, but I'm not crazy and I'm not a murderer." He quickly told them of the events of the previous day as well as the newspaper articles. He didn't want them to enter into the situation blindly.

"That is ridiculous," Curtis said when Harry finished. "I remember when Voldemort first started to gain power. My parents opposed him and like yours, my parents were killed for their opposition. Whatever we can do to help you, we will."

"I was hoping that Harry and Ginny would be able to stay here for about a month or so," Sarah said. "Ginny is a pureblood witch and she needs to learn to live in the Muggle world. I've spoken to some of the other members of our group. We are going to leave them here for about a month and then move them."

"That sounds great," Betty said with a smile.

Sarah left soon afterwards leaving Harry and Ginny at the Campbells'. Betty looked at the exhausted teens.

"Let me show you around."

She led the two teens on a quick tour of the downstairs. The kitchen rather scared Ginny, but she knew that was one of the reasons she was here. Betty led them upstairs and pointed to the room at the front of the house. "This is mine and Curtis's room. If you need us, please don't hesitate to get us. There is an extra loo here on this floor and a guest bedroom."

She guided them up the last set of stairs. "I'm going to give you the top floor. There are two bedrooms up here with a loo in between." She gestured to a small room next to the front bedroom. "There is a little sitting room that the two of you can use. I'll let the two of you get settled."

"Thank you," they replied.

Ginny walked into the front bedroom. It was a nice room with a large front window. It was painted yellow with a large bed and a small desk. They quickly checked out the back bedroom that was also good sized. It was painted blue with a large bed and several bookshelves. The bathroom was much bigger than Ginny was used to with a large shower stall.

"I like this one," Ginny said as she returned to the front room.

"Okay," Harry said. "Do you mind if I take a shower? I still feel rather grimy from running through the forest."

"That's fine," Ginny replied. Once Harry headed in to take a shower, she opened the bag that Sarah had helped her purchase and started pulling out her new clothes. Sarah had bought each of them several sets of clothing as well as toiletries. Harry had insisted on paying her back. Ginny hadn't seen how much gold he'd given her, but it sounded like a lot.

She opened the wardrobe and started putting away the jeans and shirts. She smoothed them carefully as she put them away; she'd never had so many new clothes in her life. It had been rather fun to shop. She smiled as she remembered how red Harry had turned when they had purchased their underclothes and nightshirts.

By the time she'd put all of her new clothes away and explored her room a bit, Harry was done in the shower. He knocked on her open door.

"I'm done, Ginny, if you want to shower."

She smiled. "Thanks, Harry."

After a late dinner, the teens returned to the top floor to sleep. Ginny lingered on the landing outside their rooms. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be by herself yet.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to look over at him and nodded. "I just…" to her horror she felt tears welling up in her eyes again.

Harry was at her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey, it will be okay."

Nodding, Ginny buried her face in his neck. He held her while she calmed down. She looked up into his face; he was so close his big green eyes seemed more expressive than normal. She could see the concern for her, but also the certainty that it would turn out okay.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny hugged him for a moment and said, "I'm sorry. I just had a moment."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "It's okay. I think you're due for one after the past day we've had."

As they separated to go into their own rooms Harry smiled at her. "Don't forget, Gin. Any nightmares and you can come and get me."

"Thank you, Harry."


	4. Chapter 4 Adjusting to Muggle Life

**A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews and notes. I really appreciate it. Thanks to my betas StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent for their hard work.**

* * *

_**May 27 – July 2, 1996**_

Harry watched Curtis mesmerized. "So you can look up anything?"

Curtis laughed as he turned away from the computer. "Not anything, but a lot of things. It's a very handy tool. I've used it a lot for my shop." He watched the younger man curiously for a moment. "Didn't your relatives have a computer?"

"My cousin, Dudley, has one and I know my uncle uses one at work, but there isn't one that I've ever been allowed to use."

"Well, lad, if you are going to live among Muggles you will need to know how to use a computer," Curtis said with certainty. "My grandson does all of his schoolwork on computer."

"Wow, that would be great," Harry said as he watched with interest as Curtis opened a word processing program. "I hate writing with a quill. I'm a lot better than I used to be, but it's still hard for me. Ginny does it perfectly; I don't know how she does it."

Curtis laughed. "I used to love using a quill. My mum had the nicest eagle feather quill that she used for special occasions. It was so pretty. Of course Ginny and I both learned how to write using a quill, you didn't."

"I guess that's true," Harry agreed.

"How's Ginny coming with her Muggle lessons?"

"I think she's a bit overwhelmed," Harry said quietly. He could hear Betty instructing Ginny in the use of the washing machine. "I know it's hard. When I entered the magical world, everything was so confusing to me. I imagine it's the same for Ginny. Luckily her parents are pretty strict about them not using magic while they are underage so she knows how to cook and clean without magic. The appliances are very confusing for her, but she's smart. She'll get it."

"Good," Curtis said. "I'm going to leave you to explore the computer. If you run into any difficulties, let me know."

Harry nodded as Curtis headed into the kitchen. He was already enthralled by the computer. He opened the various programs to try to figure out what they did before he ventured out onto the internet.

* * *

Ron walked into the Common Room with the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They had just lost the last Quidditch match of the year to Ravenclaw which resulted in Ravenclaw winning the Quidditch Cup.

Angelina had been offered the choice to forfeit or play without a Seeker. The team as a group had opted to play without a Seeker and the results were rather disastrous. Ron had been unable to concentrate on the game and Ravenclaw had run up the score even before Cho Chang caught the snitch. Luckily the game had only lasted thirty-five minutes.

With a sigh, Ron grabbed a bottle of butterbeer and dropped into his favourite chair near the fire. Neville soon joined him.

"Tough luck there, mate."

Ron shrugged gloomily, "We rather expected that to happen. Without a Seeker we really didn't stand much of a chance. It would have taken a miracle to win the cup anyway, but it would have been nice to at least be in the running."

He grabbed an éclair from the tray that was floating around the room. After downing the treat he managed a smile. "At least it was Ravenclaw who got the cup, not Slytherin."

"That's true, can you imagine how insufferable Malfoy would be if they won?"

"I know. It's bad enough they're probably going to win the House Cup. If they won both it would be awful."

The two sat in silence for a few moments. This party was a far cry from the parties of previous years when the whole house was celebrating. The younger team members, Kirke and Sloper, were sitting in another corner with their friends. They both looked disheartened.

Taking a sip of his butterbeer, Neville watched his friend. His heart went out to all of the Weasleys, but most especially to Ron. He'd lost not only his sister, but his best mate as well.

"Have you heard anything new?"

"Not really," Ron replied. "They got out of Hogsmeade somehow, no one is exactly sure how. The Aurors did a house by house search and had dogs out in the woods, but couldn't find a trace of them."

"Damn, I hope they're okay," Neville said softly.

"Thanks, mate," Ron said with a small smile.

"Ron, if you're interested, we're having a study session tomorrow afternoon. You're welcome to join us."

As much as Ron wanted to ignore his upcoming OWLs, he knew he couldn't. "That sounds great, when and where?"

"We're meeting in the library at two."

"Great, I'll be there."

* * *

Ginny woke disoriented and confused. She looked at the clock; it was almost three in the morning. Her room was dark, just as she was about to close her eyes she heard a low moaning.

She sat up, her heart racing. This must have been what woke her up. When the moaning sounded again, Ginny realized it was coming from across the hall in Harry's room.

Immediately, she jumped up and, after pulling on her dressing gown, she hurried into Harry's room. His room was also dark, but she could see him writhing in the middle of the bed. One hand was on his forehead.

As she neared the bed, she was scared to see how pale and clammy he was.

She tentatively reached out a hand. "Harry."

He moaned again. She shook his shoulder and called his name again. This time he woke and bolted upright. He looked around wildly before leaning over the side of the bed and vomiting. Ginny jumped back just in time to miss being hit.

"Ginny! Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry."

She sat down on the bed next to him, he was still looking pale and shaky. "Tom again?"

Harry nodded. "He's really angry. I think it's because he can't find me. He had some sort of plan to lure me to London, but he isn't going to do that now because he doesn't think it will work."

"Lie back down, Harry," Ginny said gently. "I'll be right back."

Ginny hurried into the bathroom and wet a flannel. She also grabbed a handful of towels. Once back in Harry's room, she handed the wet flannel to him. "Wipe your face, Harry. The cool flannel might help your scar feel better."

He obeyed without question. She quickly cleaned up the pile on the floor and took the dirty linens down to the laundry room. Dumping the dirty towels in the large laundry sink, she quickly rinsed them out and left them there. In the morning she would ask for Betty's help in running the washing machine.

Stopping in the kitchen, Ginny poured a glass of water and carried it back up to Harry. He opened his eyes when she returned. He was still pale, but his colour had started to return.

"Here, Harry. Have some water."

He sat up slowly and sipped some of the water. "Thanks, Gin."

Ginny sat back down on the bed and she was happy to see he was much calmer. He smiled shyly at her. "Thanks for helping me." He blushed suddenly and looked quite embarrassed. "Merlin, you cleaned up the floor didn't you? I am so sorry. I could have done that. That's so gross…"

He stopped as Ginny reached out and touched his arm. "Harry, it's okay. You were sick. Didn't anyone ever clean up after you when you were sick?"

Her heart clenched when he looked at her in confusion. "No, if I threw up, Aunt Petunia would usually yell at me and make me clean it up." He shook his head, "Well except for the time I got the flu. She put me out on the back porch and if I got sick she'd hose me off with the hosepipe."

"What?" Ginny was appalled. "She put you on the porch?"

He shrugged. "They never wanted me and they made sure I knew it."

"Why did Professor Dumbledore put you there?"

"I don't know," Harry said wearily. "Hagrid is the one who rescued me from my parents' house and he took me to Dumbledore. I guess because she was my only living relative, but I would have rather gone with Sirius. He wanted to take me, but Hagrid got there first and wouldn't let him have me."

He lay back down on his pillow and Ginny scooted up the bed and lay down next to him. "Go back to sleep, Harry. I'll stay here a while and watch over you."

"You don't have to," he mumbled.

She smiled and tentatively ran her fingers through his wet and sweaty hair. "I know, I want to."

He slowly fell back into a deep sleep. Ginny leaned over and kissed him gently on the forehead before she lay back down on the bed. She meant to stay only for a few more minutes, but before she knew it she was sound asleep as well.

* * *

"No sign of them anywhere," Tonks said wearily. She had just arrived at Grimmauld Place from the Ministry. "We have Aurors in London, Little Whinging, and Devon. No one has heard from them. His relatives have sold their house and left. I don't know where they went – the rumour on their street is he was offered a position overseas."

"Damn! Now he really does have nowhere to go," Sirius swore.

Tonks nodded. "I know. Fudge has us coordinating with Muggle authorities. They are flooding all of the major cities, airports, and Channel crossing points."

Sirius dropped his head into his hands. Remus and Tonks exchanged a look before Remus said, "Sirius, Bill had a really good idea."

He looked up, interest clearly on his face. Remus explained Bill's idea.

Sirius looked thoughtful. "Do you think it could work?"

"I don't think it could hurt," Remus said.

"I can bring her here without giving the secret away," Tonks said. "I talked to Emmeline and she explained how to bring someone here without letting them in on the secret."

"Okay, I'll do it," Sirius said.

"I'll set it up," Tonks said. "Bill wanted to be here as well."

* * *

Ginny woke feeling warm and secure. She didn't even open her eyes for a moment, she just enjoyed the feeling of safety. When she heard the sounds of movement downstairs, she thought she should just get up. Rolling over, she froze when she rolled into someone else. Opening her eyes she saw Harry still sleeping in the same bed with her.

The events of the previous night came flooding back to her. She flushed as she remembered her forwardness, but she couldn't bring herself to move. It wasn't often she saw Harry so relaxed. He was lying on his back with one arm reaching towards her. His scar was still red, but not as inflamed as it had been last night.

As she watched, his eyes fluttered open. He looked around drowsily and smiled when he saw her. "Gin."

"G-good morning, Harry," Ginny said shyly, trying to pretend she hadn't just been caught staring at him.

He reached out and touched her hair. "Thank you for last night. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along. No one has ever really taken care of me before, it was really nice."

"You're welcome, Harry. I'm glad I could be there to help you." She got up and left his room feeling his eyes on her the whole way.

She quickly dressed and brushed her teeth before heading downstairs. Betty was already up and sitting at the kitchen table drinking her tea and eating some toast.

"Good morning," she greeted the older woman.

"Good morning, dear." Betty smiled as she watched Ginny expertly use the toaster to make her own toast. "Did something happen last night? I thought I heard some noise and then there are some towels in the sink."

"I'm sorry, Betty," Ginny apologized as she sat down at the table. As she fixed her tea she explained briefly what had happened to Harry the night before.

"Oh, my word," Betty breathed. "Does this happen to him a lot?"

"Enough, he's had two episodes in the past week," Ginny sighed. "That could be due to everything that's happened, but I just hate to see him like that."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Ginny started to say no, but found herself asking about good places to jog. As she started to wash the towels under Betty's watchful gaze, Ginny planned out their day. When Harry came down a while later, Ginny explained her plan as he ate his breakfast.

"That sounds like a great idea, Gin."

Almost two hours later the pair was jogging along the River Ness. Harry relaxed and he fell into a familiar rhythm of running. The scenery was beautiful and best of all he was spending time with Ginny. He still couldn't believe how amazing she'd been the night before when he'd been sick. No one had ever done so much for him when he'd been sick before.

He noticed some birds flying overhead and his thoughts flew to Hedwig. He hoped that Ron was looking after his owl for him. She had always been there for him and he hoped someone was there for her now. He shuddered to remember Uncle Vernon's death threats against his feathered friend. The lowest point had been last summer. He'd been truly afraid that Uncle Vernon would finally follow through on his threats to wring the owl's neck.

"What are you thinking about?"

Harry almost stumbled at the sound of Ginny's voice. He blushed a bit. "I was thinking about Hedwig. I hope Ron is looking after her. She is usually the one who keeps me company when I run."

"Really? That's very sweet," Ginny said with a smile.

Harry nodded while wondering if sweet was a good thing or not. "She's the only one who's with me all the time and…especially after she was injured this past year I really worry about her. I'd hate for someone to hurt her to get to me."

Ginny nodded in understanding. "I know. I'm sure that Ron will take care of her for you."

The two turned into the park and made their way to a small concession stand. After purchasing two bottles of water, they headed over to one of the benches that were arrayed around the park.

"This was a great idea, Ginny," Harry said as he drained half of his bottle of water.

She smiled. "Good. I noticed that you seem to relax more once you've worked out or been running."

Blushing slightly, Harry agreed. "It does help. Practically the only thing that's kept me sane this term is running and working out."

"It has been an awful term," Ginny agreed. She smiled,; "The only good part of it was when Fred and George hopped on their brooms and flew off. Just the thought of the look on the old toad's face makes me smile."

She sobered quickly. "I guess I shouldn't mock her."

Harry smiled at her. "She's still an old toad. I mean, it's horrible the way she died, but she was awful."

Ginny sighed and looked around. "It is so beautiful up here."

"It is," Harry agreed. "Maybe we'll get a chance to look around a bit."

"That would be nice. I wonder how long we'll be here. Sarah indicated we would be moved around a bit."

"I don't know." Harry stood and stretched a bit. He glanced over at Ginny. He'd been trying not to do so too often because the way she looked in her running outfit…he didn't think he'd ever seen anything more enticing. He'd almost run off the path several times because he was too busy staring at her and not watching where he was going.

"You're doing really well with learning everything," Harry offered. "I know it's hard to change the way you doing everything."

Ginny nodded ruefully. "Merlin, it is…I probably shouldn't say Merlin, should I?"

"No, that's pretty much a dead giveaway," Harry laughed. "How about blimey?"

She shook her head. "That reminds me of my brother."

"Bugger?" Harry suggested. "Blast?"

"Do you only know words that start with a B?" Ginny laughed. She saw an embarrassed look cross his face. "I'm sorry, Harry. That probably sounded mean. I was only joking."

"No, that's okay." Harry smiled at her. "You ready to head back?"

"Okay." Ginny smiled. She stood and started to walk past him. He reached out and put his hand on her arm.

"Ginny, thank you for everything you did last night," Harry said softly. "No one has ever done that for me and I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile.

Not sure if it was the right thing to do or not, Harry reached out and pulled her into a hug. He really liked the way she felt in his arms. As he pulled back, he saw something in her eyes he couldn't really identify. He stared into her warm chocolate eyes. There was something about her that just felt so right.

Hardly aware of what he was doing, he leaned down and kissed her. To his delight, her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him back. He felt like he could keep kissing her forever. With Cho, kissing had been awkward and uninspiring. Kissing Ginny was the best feeling in the world.

Once breathing became an issue, Harry pulled back. To his delight, Ginny looked a bit happy and dazed, rather like how he felt.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," he whispered.

"I've wanted you to do that for a long time," she replied.

He leaned down and pressed a short kiss to her lips. "As awful as these last few days have been, I'm glad I'm with you. You just make everything brilliant. You always know what to do to make me feel better."

She beamed up at him. "I've been thinking that too. It's been scary, but you always make me feel safe."

"I'm not very good at this," Harry said colouring. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I would love to be your girlfriend," Ginny said as she leaned up to kiss him.

The walk home took much longer than it probably should have as the two of them kept stopping to exchange sweet kisses. It was early afternoon when the two arrived back at the Campbell household hand-in-hand.

* * *

Sirius waited nervously in the drawing room of his family's home. Everything was riding on the upcoming interview. He wandered around the room one more time, adjusting pictures and making sure it looked as clean as possible.

The sound of steps on the stairs caused him to turn and look towards the door. Remus and Bill were escorting their visitor into the drawing room. Tonks would be in the room under an invisibility cloak in case things got out of hand. Taking a deep breath, Sirius drew upon the lessons of his youth and settled his face into an aristocratic mask.

Bill drew his wand and cast a spell to dispel the charm that had blindfolded their guest. She took a deep breath and looked around the room. Sirius had to give her credit, when she saw him she didn't scream. Instead she arched an eyebrow at him.

"My, my, my, Sirius Black."

Sirius nodded courteously in her direction. "Miss Skeeter." He gestured to an armchair near the fireplace. "Please, have a seat."

The reporter nodded and sat in the indicated chair. Sirius sat in the chair across from her while the others arrayed themselves on the sofa.

"I would like to make a statement in support of my godson," Sirius stated.

"Really?" Rita drawled. "I'm not certain the support of a known murderer would help a suspected murder."

"I've never murdered anyone in my life," Sirius said evenly. "May I explain?"

"Please," Rita pulled a quill and notebook from her purse.

Sirius explained the events leading up to Halloween 1981 and the subsequent aftermath. Rita took copious notes.

"So you admit you are an illegal Animagus?" Rita asked.

"I hear that is something we have in common," Sirius returned. He shrugged. "Besides, I've already served twelve years in Azkaban. I can't imagine the sentence for being an illegal Animagus is worse than that."

"True," Rita replied. "So if you are innocent why haven't you gone to the Ministry?"

"For one, they sent me to prison in the first place," Sirius retorted dryly. "Not to mention Fudge has a history of using Dementors first and asking questions later."

She nodded. "So have you been in contact with Harry Potter?"

"Unfortunately, no," Sirius replied. "That woman threatened to expel him and take his wand. He is being hunted by Voldemort; there is no way he would give up his wand."

"Do you believe he could have killed Professor Umbridge?" Rita asked. "I have heard how the two of them were not on good terms. When she expelled him, it could have been the last straw. He is known to have a temper and he is a known Parselmouth."

"Voldemort is also a known Parselmouth and he **is** known to be a murderer," Sirius said evenly.

"So what do you imagine happened?" Rita challenged him.

"I imagine that Harry and Ginny were unfairly expelled and that woman threatened to snap their wands. I believe they fled through the Forbidden Forest," Sirius explained. He and Remus had agreed not to mention the Shrieking Shack. "I know Harry; he would never have killed anyone and I don't believe he killed Professor Umbridge."

Rita nodded as she jotted a few notes, she looked over at the sofa and locked eyes with Bill. "What about you? Do you agree?"

"I do," Bill replied firmly. "I don't believe that Harry would murder anyone and I know my sister would never just stand by while he killed someone."

"I heard rumours that your sister may have been under the Imperius Curse," Rita stated.

Bill shook his head, "I don't believe so. Do you know how hard it is to put someone under the Imperius Curse? It takes practice – who do you imagine he has been practicing on? How could he have my sister under the Imperius Curse and kill Umbridge at the same time? Do you think two teenagers could have killed everyone on the Knight Bus? I don't think so."

"So who do you think did it?" Rita asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Voldemort or his Death Eaters. I know Fudge wants to keep pretending that Voldemort is not back, but he is and his Death Eaters have started their reign of terror once again. He is after Harry. I don't know if he just wants to save face because he was beaten by a toddler, but he is after my godson.

"I want Harry to know that I know he is not a murderer and I will do whatever I can to help him."

"So you don't agree with Professor Dumbledore?"

"I do not," Sirius said almost angrily. "Professor Dumbledore has abandoned Harry. He did support him at his trial, but other than that he hasn't spoken to him since the end of last year. Harry himself thought that Dumbledore was upset with him or somehow blamed him for the events of last year. I don't know if that is true or not, but I know that Dumbledore has not supported Harry or helped him as he should."

They spoke for a while longer as Rita clarified her questions and took a picture of Sirius for the article.

* * *

Ginny sat at the kitchen table with an array of coins on the table in front of her. She ran her hands over the coins, fascinated by the differences between them and the coins she was used to growing up.

"So there are 100 pence to a pound and those are the only two types?" Ginny asked.

"Basically, yes," Betty replied with a smile. "There are eight different coins - the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2."

Ginny nodded as she picked up the copper 2p coin. "So the copper and the silver ones are both the same kind of coin, just worth different amounts."

As she examined the coins, she said, "Oh, they have the number on them. Okay, that makes sense. Two of these are the same as one of these."

"Exactly," Betty replied with a smile.

"I remember my dad used some kind of paper money at the World Cup," Ginny stated.

Betty nodded and she scooped up the coins and pulled four banknotes from her purse. "There are four types of banknotes – the £5, £10, £20 and £50."

Picking up the banknotes Betty handed her, Ginny examined them closely. "These have the numbers on them as well." Turning them over she said, "I recognize the Queen. Are these other people famous Muggles?"

Betty nodded. She didn't want to overwhelm the poor girl with information so she didn't explain who all of the people were. She would save that for another time.

"This is a lot easier than I thought it would be," Ginny commented. "My dad always made it sound like it was very difficult to figure out Muggle money, but they all have numbers on them. The banknotes are very pretty."

Looking up at her hostess she said, "I noticed Sarah paying with some kind of card, what is that?"

With a smile, Betty explained about credit and debit cards, writing cheques, as well as cashpoint machines.

"So you can get money from one of these machines with just this card?" Ginny asked, turning over Betty's debit card in amazement. "That is so convenient, so much better than having to go down into your vault."

"You don't have any type of credit cards in the Wizarding world?" Betty asked. "You always use coins?"

Ginny nodded, "My parents always use coins. I know if you have a lot of money, you can sign for things, but you need to have a lot of money in your vault to do that."

"Doesn't your purse get heavy when you go shopping?"

Ginny laughed. "No, not if you put a featherweight charm on it."

"Did you go shopping with your parents often?" Betty asked. She was fairly certain the girl had come from very modest circumstances, but she didn't know how to go about asking.

"When I was younger I used to go with my mum all the time," Ginny replied. "She would go shopping in the village or sometimes go to Diagon Alley in London. We don't have a lot of money, so my mum makes a lot of our clothes or buys them second hand. We have our own chickens and grow a lot of our own food."

She blushed. "I've never spent so much money on clothes as we did when Harry and I came here."

Betty smiled at the younger woman. "I think you are doing very well adapting to the Muggle world."

"Thank you."

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was crowded and surprisingly rather silent. All of the fifth and seventh year students were busy revising for the exams and the other students had taken to keeping out of the way of those revising. A few second years had incurred Hermione's wrath by laughing too loudly and a group of fourth year students had run afoul of Angelina while playing Exploding Snap. After that, those not taking exams had taken to staying out of the common room until curfew or retiring to their dorms early.

Ron was still upset with Hermione. He hadn't really spoken to her since their fight and he was really feeling miserable about it. Neville had quickly become his closest friend and support system.

Currently Hermione was in the library studying for her Ancient Runes OWL with Padma Patil, Ernie MacMillan, and Michael Corner, so Ron was not so on edge. He was studying Herbology with Neville.

"Damn, you really know your stuff mate," Ron said with some satisfaction.

Neville blushed slightly. "Thanks. I really enjoy growing things. My mum liked to garden and when I was little I found her garden. It was all overgrown and had obviously been neglected since…well you know. Anyhow I decided that I was going to restore it to its former glory, so I read all I could about growing plants."

He looked around the room to ensure that Hermione hadn't returned. When he was assured she wasn't there he continued. "My mum's elf, Bibi, helped me a lot. She had all of my mum's old journals and helped me recreate what my mum had done. I learned a lot about plants."

"That's great," Ron said. "Do you want to do something with plants with you're done with school?"

"I'd love to," Neville replied. "I really want to start my own nursery someday. What about you?"

Ron shrugged. "Harry and I had talked about becoming Aurors, but honestly I don't know if I want to do it myself. Plus I really don't want two more years of Snape. I'd love to do something with Quidditch – maybe work for Magical Games and Sports."

"That sounds like something you'd be good at," Neville said. "My grandmother wants me to be an Auror, but I really don't want to do that. I know my parents were great Aurors, but that just doesn't interest me." He laughed. "I don't want two more years of Snape either."

Ron glanced at his watch. "Do you want to head down and get some dinner?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Neville replied.

As they exited the portrait hole, they saw Hermione coming towards them. She greeted Neville who awkwardly replied. She and Ron were studiously ignoring each other. With a sigh, Neville headed down to the Great Hall with Ron. He wondered how Harry had dealt with all of the arguments over the years. He had already tried talking to Ron, who had refused to even consider talking to Hermione. Hermione, on the other hand, was willing to talk to Ron, but felt he owed her an apology.

* * *

Ginny reached over and took Harry's hand as the bus neared the Eastgate Mall. After three weeks with the Campbells, the teens were on their own for the day. Betty had suggested the outing as a sort of test of their Muggle skills. While either Betty or Curtis could have easily driven the teens to the mall, Betty wanted them to negotiate the public transportation system on their own.

They eagerly exited the bus and headed into the mall. Ginny was rather enthralled by the whole experience of the mall; she'd never seen anything like it. Harry let her lead the way and followed her into any number of shops.

"Do you like these?" Ginny asked as she held up a pair of high heeled shoes.

Harry nodded, although truthfully he didn't really have an opinion one way or the other. If Ginny wanted to buy shoes, he was perfectly fine with that. But he did comment, "I've never seen you wearing heels before."

"I know." Ginny glanced around the shop before she continued. "Betty suggested that I buy clothes I wouldn't normally wear. So I'm buying more skirts and heels than trousers and trainers."

"That makes sense," Harry agreed. He had noticed Ginny was wearing more short skirts, but as he enjoyed her wearing the skirts he hadn't really commented.

"I'm actually surprised," Ginny said as she put down the shoes and moved on to another pair. "I actually like changing up the kinds of clothes I'm wearing." A frown crossed her face and she turned to her boyfriend, "Do secondary schools have uniforms?"

"Some do," Harry replied. "I wasn't planning on getting a lot of new clothes until we know where we are going to be living and going to school."

"I guess that makes sense," Ginny agreed. She held up a pair of open toed black heels. "But I do want to try these on."

Harry watched appreciatively as she walked the length of the store in the heels. He hoped she would get them as they made her legs look fantastic. She end up purchasing the heels and was quite happy that she was able to complete the monetary transaction without any input from Harry.

Flushed with her success, Ginny led the way back out into the mall. After window shopping through most of the lower level, the two of them headed upstairs.

"What are these things called again?" Ginny whispered as she leaned close to him.

"Escalators," Harry replied. "They're actually like the moving stairs leading to Dumbledore's office."

"Really? I've never been to Dumbledore's office," she remarked.

"I have – too many times," Harry replied dryly.

As they exited off the escalator, Harry shyly reached out for Ginny's hand. He was still getting used to the idea that he could just reach out and take her hand. He remembered how difficult that feat had seemed on his disastrous date with Cho – with Ginny it was wonderful.

He followed her into Marks & Spencer. She was fascinated by the idea that so many different items could be found in one store.

"This is amazing," she remarked as they walked through the housewares section. She stopped in front of a display of flatware. "There are so many different colours and shapes. We just have rather mismatched, chipped, white plates. Mum put unbreakable charms on them, but they still have chips after so many years of use and so many children. My grandmother gave them to her when she and my dad got married."

Harry pointed to a dinner plate rimmed in black, "That's kind of like what my aunt and uncle have – none of their plates are chipped. My aunt would bin them as soon as they show any signs of wear – she's really big on appearances. She also has very elegant china that they use on holidays – it's actually really pretty. Her mum gave it to her as well."

Ginny glanced over and saw the strange look pass over his face. "What is it?"

He shook his head a bit ruefully. "I just realized that means they were my grandmother's plates. She would never let me touch them because they were her mum's and I might break them or some such rubbish. She made it sound so separate from me, I never really connected that they were my grandmother's."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Your aunt is an evil hag."

"That is very true," he laughed.

The two of them wandered through the store before heading back out into the mall. A pharmacy was the next store that caught her attention.

"So these are used in place of potions?" Ginny whispered.

Harry nodded. "Yes." Picking up a box, he showed her how to tell what condition the pills were to treat and how much to take.

To his mortification, she wandered down the Women's Health aisle. When she realized he wasn't following, she turned and looked at him. "Come on, Harry."

Blushing furiously, he joined her as she perused the aisle. She picked up a box of Panadol and flipped it over to read it.

"What's caffeine?" she asked.

"Caffeine?" he repeated blankly. He couldn't for the life of him imagine what caffeine had to do with anything in this aisle.

"Yes, caffeine," she repeated back to him.

"Um, it helps keep you awake," he replied.

She shrugged. "I don't know how that would help period pain, but I'll give it a try."

He blushed a bit more deeply, but didn't respond. Looking cautiously around the aisle, he knew his face was bright red. There didn't seem to be any safe place to look – there were shelves of sanitary napkins and tampons, but the embarrassment didn't end there. The next section had condoms and lubricants.

To his dismay, Ginny didn't seem in any hurry to leave the aisle. She was picking up boxes of tampons. Thankfully she soon made her selection and paid for everything. Harry felt a wave of relief when everything was placed in a plain paper bag.

Ginny looked over at him with a smirk. "You actually did pretty well. Ron would never have even come down the aisle with me."

"Was that some sort of test?" Harry asked a bit angrily.

"No," Ginny quickly replied. "I needed to get some supplies. I didn't mean to embarrass you, I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Harry said. "It was really embarrassing, but I survived."

After walking around the upper level, they headed back downstairs and headed for the food court. They decided on a burger restaurant after looking at the available choices.

"I really like these," Ginny said after taking a bite of her burger.

Harry nodded. "Hagrid took me out for burgers after he took me to Diagon Alley for the first time. It was brilliant. My cousin always got to go out to eat, but I was never allowed to go. I would sometimes get to eat cold burgers or a few cold chips, but that was the first time I ever had a hot burger and chips."

"Your relatives are horrible people," Ginny said flatly.

Harry laughed. "I'm not arguing with you."

They watched the people walking by with Ginny asking questions or making comments. Harry couldn't help but be entranced by her sense of humour.

"This is better than taking OWLs, don't you think?" she asked.

"Definitely," he sighed. "I really miss everyone, though."

"Me too," Ginny said. "Although I'm sure you're glad to escape Hermione's colour-coded schedule."

He laughed. "That is very true."

* * *

Curtis headed down Church Street and entered the Victoria Market. His gift shop had been located in the market for the past twenty years. He loved the old fashioned look to the market - it reminded him of the magical shops of his youth. Today he wasn't here to visit his shop.

He waved and greeted the other shop owners as he made his way through the market hall out to the brick arcade with its intricate iron work. This was one of the oldest parts of the market and while he had been in most of the shops, there was one shop he hadn't entered in years.

Pausing outside Morrison's Jewellery, he looked in through the windows. Ostensibly, Morrison's was a high end jewellery store and in keeping with the feel of the market, they specialized in Victorian and Edwardian jewellery.

Curtis entered the shop and greeted Rebecca Morrison, the young great-granddaughter of the shop's founder. "Good morning, Rebecca."

"Good morning, Mr Campbell," Rebecca replied cheerfully. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Curtis nodded. "I'd like to see what's in your back room."

Rebecca's eyes widened. "The back room?"

Curtis smiled gently and leaned in to whisper, "Come on lass, ye know that the Muggle repelling charms are in place, I just want to look around."

"You're a wizard?" she asked in the same quiet voice.

"No," he replied. "I'm a Squib. I was talking to me sister's daughter the other day and I started thinking about those amazing Sugar Quills."

Relaxing a bit, Rebecca pushed a button under the counter. "My sister, Connie, is working the back room."

Curtis entered the back room and smiled at the shelves of Wizarding products. They had a section of pre-made potions, grocery items including a small selection of Honeydukes sweets, and books and newspapers. Morrison's Wizarding Shop was the only Wizarding shop in Inverness. Edinburgh and Glasgow both had larger Wizarding shopping areas similar to Diagon Alley, but Inverness just had Morrison's.

"Good morning, Connie," Curtis said as he wandered around the back room. If a Muggle had somehow managed to make it past all of the charms and wandered in they would have been shocked at not only the selection of merchandise, but also how big the back room appeared to be. It was much larger than it appeared on the outside.

He wandered about the shop and picked up a few Sugar Quills and some Chocoballs, which he thought Betty might enjoy. Then he headed for his real destination, the newspaper section.

He picked up today's _Daily Prophet_ as well as the _Oracle_, the Glasgow Wizarding paper. The headlines of one of the glossy magazines caught his attention. It read – Sirius Black Supports Harry Potter. Curtis grabbed the magazine as well and headed up to purchase his selections.

A thought struck him as he approached Connie. "I only have Muggle money."

"That's okay," Connie replied, waving away his concerns. "Most people pay us in Muggle money." She rang up the older man's purchases. "I am quite surprised to see you here."

Curtis laughed and gave her the same story he'd given her sister. "I haven't been here in years. I think the last time I was here, your mother was working here. My niece told me a few things and I have to say I'm a bit curious about what is going on the Wizarding world."

"Nothing good," Connie replied. "Did she tell you that You-Know-Who is back?"

Curtis nodded. Connie sighed, "My youngest is at Hogwarts and this past year has been awful. Some horrible Ministry woman was there making life difficult for all of the children, but then she was killed. My boy swears that Harry Potter would never do such a thing."

"Does he know Potter?" Curtis asked, curious about other's opinions of Harry.

"Yes," Connie said. "Potter ran a Defence study group because this horrible Ministry woman wasn't teaching them well. He said Potter had a bit of a temper, but he was very nice and loyal to his friends."

"Horrible business," Curtis said as he took his bag from Connie. "Thank you so much."

When Curtis arrived back home, he heard Harry and Ginny laughing in the sitting room. After hanging up his jacket, he headed for the sitting room. The young couple were reading one of Betty's romance novels together.

"Are you sure there's no car chase?" he heard Harry asking.

"I'm positive," Ginny replied. "Besides this is set almost two hundred years ago, they didn't have cars."

Curtis cleared his throat and the young couple looked up at him.

"Hello, Curtis," they chorused.

"Hello, kids." He held out the bag that held the newspapers and magazine. "I stopped by the magical shop downtown. I figured that it was better to know what is going on rather than just guessing."

* * *

Harry stood and crossed the room, taking the bag. "Thank you, Curtis."

The young wizard gasped as he found the magazine, _Wizarding Today_. On the cover was a picture of Sirius Black. He hurriedly opened the magazine and found the article.

**Sirius Black Speaks Out**

_**By Grace Goodwin**_

**I recently spent the afternoon in the company of alleged murderer, Sirius Black. To my shock, I discovered that not only did Mr Black claim to be innocent of any wrongdoing; he had never been given a trial. That's correct – he was sent to Azkaban without the benefit of a trial.**

**Madam Amelia Bones, the head of Magical Law Enforcement, is looking into the allegations that it was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black, who killed twelve Muggles with a single curse almost fifteen years ago. There are allegedly witnesses who have seen Peter Pettigrew alive and well. It is rumoured he has returned to the service of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. After the Dark Mark was seen over the skies of Manchester recently, the Ministry conceded that it is possible You-Know-Who may have returned.**

Harry turned to Ginny in astonishment. "Wouldn't it be brilliant if Sirius was cleared?"

She nodded with excitement as they turned back to the article.

**When asked about the allegations against his godson, Harry Potter, and Ginny Weasley, Mr Black bristles with indignation. "There is no way that Harry is behind these tragedies. Harry is a wonderful and very thoughtful young man. He hates the Dark Arts and he hates Voldemort – there is no way that Harry would have killed anyone."**

**Admitting that his godson is a Parselmouth, Mr Black hastens to add that it is not actually a Dark Art – it is a rare talent, but not Dark or illegal. Mr Black acknowledges that Mr Potter formed a Defence Against the Dark Arts study group, stating that Madam Umbridge was not letting the students practice any of the Defence spells. "I knew about and even encouraged Harry in this endeavour."**

**Mr Black vigorously disagrees with Professor Dumbledore's position that You-Know-Who may be controlling Mr Potter's actions and the young man is dangerous. According to Mr Black, Mr Potter is able to resist the Imperius Curse and has very strong strength of will. "I know Harry is innocent of all of these crimes. I hope Harry or Ginny will contact me. I will continue to search for them and will do whatever I can to help them."**

**The Weasley family has been supportive of Professor Dumbledore's efforts to find the young couple. Mrs Weasley had voiced her concern that her daughter is in the company of an accused killer.**

"**Harry is a sweet boy, but I know people can do things they wouldn't normally do while under the influence of You-Know-Who. I am concerned that my daughter has been caught up in these events. I hope if Ginny is able, she will free herself from Harry's company and return home."**

Harry's voice cracked over the last sentence. He couldn't believe that Mrs Weasley thought he might have killed those people. He'd always thought Mrs Weasley liked him, but he'd been proven wrong before so maybe he'd misread her.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny whispered. She gently put her hand on Harry's arm. "She's thinking about the Chamber of Secrets."

"I understand," Harry said. "I just can't believe she'd think I would hurt you. I saved your life and your father's life – doesn't that prove I'm not evil?"

Ginny smiled as she kissed him softly. "I think it does. Mum just worries."

She picked up the magazine and smiled at the last paragraphs. "Look Harry."

**Mr Bill Weasley, a Curse Breaker at Gringotts and Miss Weasley's oldest brother, has come out in support of the young couple. "I don't think either Harry or Ginny had anything to do with the deaths of Madam Umbridge or the tragedy on the Knight Bus. I hope they are safe and that they make it home."**

**Miss Weasley's three youngest brothers have also been very vocal in their support of the young people. Mr Ron Weasley, who is Mr Potter's best friend, as well as Miss Weasley's brother, vehemently denied any possibility that his friend was involved in the deaths. "Harry hates the Dark Arts – he would never do anything like this."**

**We here at _Wizarding Today_ hope that the truth will be revealed and if they are indeed vindicated that Mr Potter and Miss Weasley return home safely. **

Harry grinned at the thought of his best mate defending him to the reporters. Together they scanned the two newspaper articles.

"It looks like Sirius has given several interviews." Harry made a face. "He let Rita Skeeter interview him." He flipped through the paper, "It's not in this issue, it must have been in a previous edition."

"The Ministry is watching my parents' house," Ginny commented. She shook her head, "That doesn't make any sense, I don't remember where they live."

"Dumbledore must not have told them about the Fidelius – if that's what they did. They also have people stationed on Diagon Alley," Harry said. "They must be afraid we'll try to contact your brothers."

Ginny nodded. "That's too bad. What about Hermione? Can we call her or something?"

Rereading the article Harry shook his head. "No, they've brought the Muggle authorities in as well, like they did when Sirius escaped. I imagine they are monitoring her mail and probably her phone – at least they might be. I don't really want to get her into trouble too."

Ginny's face fell, "I guess you're right. What about Charlie?"

"I don't know," Harry said after thinking it over. "They might have someone there monitoring his mail."

He looked up at her, wishing with all of his heart that he could get her home. "I'm afraid we're on our own for a while."

Ginny nodded and wrapped her arms around him. "We'll manage."

* * *

Their last weekend in Inverness, Harry and Ginny came down to breakfast to find Betty frying bacon at the stove.

"Good morning," she smiled. "I was thinking we could take a nice picnic near the Loch."

"Brilliant," Harry said brightly. "I've always wanted to see Loch Ness."

"Maybe we'll see the dragon," Ginny said excitedly.

"Dragon?" Harry questioned. "The Loch Ness monster is a dragon?"

"Yeah," Ginny nodded. "A Hebridean Black escaped from the sanctuary on the Outer Hebrides a long time ago. Some think there might be a whole family of dragons in the loch."

"A whole family of dragons?" Betty asked faintly. "Wouldn't someone notice that?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, dragons have an innate ability to disguise themselves from Muggles. Well, usually. The ones that have been seen were probably babies or wounded."

"That's what me mum always said," Curtis agreed. "I've never seen any dragons meself, but you never know – today might be the day."

Shaking her head in amazement, Betty packed a picnic lunch and soon the four of them were heading down the A82.

"I thought we would start our visit at Urquhart Castle," Betty said. "The views from there are unparalleled."

She turned to look at the two young people. "You know of the Scottish war for independence?"

They exchanged an unsure look, "No."

Betty shook her head, "What on earth are they teaching your people these days?"

For the next twenty minutes she gave the teens a short lecture on the history of Edward I's invasion and the battles with Robert the Bruce. Ginny listened fascinated - she knew so little about Muggle history. They arrived at the castle and walked up to the ruins.

"This is beautiful," Ginny breathed as she looked over the ramparts at the loch. Betty snapped pictures from Grant tower including one of Harry and Ginny. Leaving the tower, they wandered around the ruins.

"This must have been a huge castle," Harry said.

Ginny nodded in agreement. The two of them wandered along the pathways exploring the rest of the ruins.

"Look," Harry said hurrying along the walkway. "A trebuchet - brilliant."

Walking around the trebuchet, Ginny asked, "What is this?"

"A siege machine," Harry replied enthusiastically. "They could use these to hurl things over the walls."

Ginny smiled indulgently as Harry told her about a show he'd watched on the telly about siege machines. She rarely saw him so enthusiastic about such random things. The two walked hand-in-hand back to where the Campbells were waiting for them.

Harry gasped and gestured with their clasped hands. "Look."

Looking to where Harry was pointing and she laughed. "How sweet."

They watched for a moment as five ghostly children were running among the ruins playing tag. The children were all dressed in what Harry considered rather formal clothing to be playing outside, but he could hear them laughing and giggling as they wended their way among both the tourists and the ruins.

One of the little girls appeared to notice their attention on her. She stopped running and waved at them before taking off again.

The teens watched her run away. "Are there ghosts in all of these old castles?" Harry asked.

"Probably," Ginny replied. "Especially in a castle this old, a lot of people have lived here."

Re-joining the Campbells, the four of them enjoyed a dragon-free afternoon.

* * *

Sirius listened impassively as the Order members gave their reports. Neither Harry nor Ginny had been spotted by either the Order or the Ministry.

Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Severus, have you heard anything?"

"No, sir," Snape responded silkily. "The Dark Lord is angry that the boy escaped. He has his followers looking for the boy, but so far nothing."

"Is there any evidence your Dark Lord is trying to control my godson?" Sirius asked, putting the right amount of contempt in the phrase the "Dark Lord."

"Not that I am aware of," Snape admitted. "He is angry that his planning was all for naught."

"Do you know what his plan was?" McGonagall asked.

Exchanging a glance with the Headmaster, Snape replied, "I believe he was trying to lure the boy to the Department of Mysteries. When I attempted to teach the boy Occlumency, he was dreaming of the Department of Mysteries. I believe the Dark Lord was somehow causing the dreams, but I don't know how."

"Was he after the prophecy we were guarding?" Arthur asked, addressing his question to Dumbledore.

The old man sighed. "I believe so. The prophecy is one regarding Voldemort and Harry – Voldemort believes it tells how to defeat him. I don't feel comfortable revealing anything more about the prophecy. It seems that Voldemort has discovered that only those named in the prophecy can touch the orb. I believe he was trying to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries to retrieve the prophecy."

"Dammit!" Sirius swore. "You couldn't have shared this before he disappeared? You should have told Harry about the prophecy. Hell, you should have told me about the prophecy. I am his legal guardian."

"Really, Albus," McGonagall said sternly. "You never told us the prophecy concerned Harry."

"I did what I thought was best," Dumbledore said stiffly. "Harry is just a boy; he didn't need the burden he might perceive to be placed on him from the prophecy."

"Great," Sirius said sarcastically. "That plan worked out really well."

"That's not helping," Remus reprimanded gently.

Sirius rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting further.

"Albus, do you think they're still together?" Molly asked tremulously.

"I don't really know," Dumbledore replied after a moment. "If I had to guess, I would say yes. Harry would not abandon her if he was in control of his actions and if he was not in control of his actions she would have tried to escape."

"The Minister wants to use Dementors to find them, but thus far he has not found a location to direct them towards," Kingsley reported. "They have not used any magic so we presume they are in the Muggle world. Muggle authorities have not found any trace of them either."

"How can two children disappear so thoroughly?" Arthur asked. "They must have had help, don't you think? Ginny has never even been inside a Muggle house before. I can't imagine she's been able to blend in so easily."

Sirius raised his eyebrows; he had not considered that fact. He looked at his cousin. "You interviewed everyone in Hogsmeade, didn't you?"

She nodded. "We talked to all of the shop owners, clerks, villagers, and anyone we know who was shopping in the village that day. No one recalls seeing them. The Express was not running that day and obviously there was no Knight Bus. All cars leaving the village were searched. The working theory is that after the Knight Bus massacre, they broke into one of the businesses and used the Floo."

"That's ridiculous," Sirius exclaimed. "Where would they have gone? If they'd been able to get Floo powder, wouldn't they have come home?"

"I'm telling you what the theories are, Sirius. Don't get shirty with me. I'm trying to keep you up to date with the investigation," Tonks replied sharply.

"Sorry," Sirius said sincerely. "It's just so frustrating."

"Fudge thinks Sirius helped Harry to escape," Kingsley put in. "Amelia, on the other hand, has been investigating the crimes with which Sirius was originally charged. I believe she is starting to lean towards his innocence."

"Really?" Sirius perked up.

Kingsley nodded. "The original evidence against you was rather powerful eye witness testimony, but they were all Muggles and could have been fooled. Your wand did not show any evidence of blasting hexes or killing curses. One of the biggest factors against you was your family name. Your cousin and brother were known Death Eaters and many seemed to think you simply joined them. Amelia is looking at it with a more objective view. She wants to talk to you."

Sirius looked over at Dumbledore. While he had his issues with the older wizard, he knew Dumbledore had much more experience in Wizarding justice. Dumbledore seemed to be turning over options in his mind. Finally Dumbledore looked up at Sirius.

"I will contact Amelia tomorrow and tell her that you have contacted me and asked for my help. If she agrees, I will arrange for a meeting in a neutral location."

"Perhaps my parents' house," Tonks suggested.

"That would be excellent," Dumbledore replied.

The meeting broke up shortly afterwards, leaving Sirius, Tonks, Remus, and Bill at Grimmauld Place.

Remus looked over at his old friend. "This could be great news. If you are freed…"

"If," Sirius replied nervously. "I was thrown in jail without a trial the first time. You'll understand if I'm not overly excited about my chances." He sighed. "The only reason I'm doing this is it will help me search for Harry without worrying about getting caught and thrown back in Azkaban."

Tonks stood up. "I'm going to talk to Mum and let her know the plan." In a rare show of affection, she hugged her cousin. "It will work out."

* * *

Hermione had never been so glad to see King's Cross before. The last month had been miserable. Ron was still not talking to her and she really didn't know how to go about fixing the breech. In the past, Harry had always been there to help smooth things over and help them talk to each other. She realized that what she'd said to Ron may have seemed a bit insensitive, but she didn't know what else to say.

She didn't believe that Harry would kill all of those people, but she did agree with Professor Dumbledore. Harry could have been under You-Know-Who's influence. Hadn't Ginny fallen under the thrall of just a memory of You-Know-Who? Why was it such a stretch to think that a reborn and fully powerful You-Know-Who could control Harry? He'd sent Harry dreams in the past and they never really figured out what happened over the Christmas holidays when Harry had seen Mr Weasley bitten by the snake.

Ron had taken to hanging out with Neville and she had started spending more time with friends like Padma Patil. She had discovered that the Patils did not live far from her and she and Padma were going to get together over the holidays.

She exited the train with Crookshanks in a basket and pulling her trunk behind her. To her relief, her father quickly spotted her and hurried over to help her. After hugging her, he took her trunk.

"Your mum's at home, love," Mr Granger said. He looked around the crowded platform. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to your friends?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'll tell you about it in the car, Dad."

As they left the platform, Hermione saw the Weasleys greeting Ron. Mrs Weasley looked thinner and a bit more grey than she had previously. Hermione's heart went out to the Weasleys, but she didn't know how to approach them. She didn't see Harry's relatives and supposed that someone must have let them know he wouldn't be here. She did notice a number of Aurors on the platform, she wondered if they expected Harry and Ginny to miraculously show up with the rest of the students.

Hermione smiled as they reached the car park and she saw her father's MGB convertible. He didn't bring out the roadster very often, but he knew she loved the classic car. It was a beautiful British racing green and in mint condition.

"So now I see why mum didn't come," Hermione teased. "There's no room for her."

Mr Granger grinned at his daughter. "Well, I know you love my car and I wanted a good excuse to bring her out."

The ride home was fun and Hermione was in a much better mood when she arrived at her house. It was only several hours later after dinner that the conversation turned serious.

"Your father tells me you didn't say goodbye to Ron," Mrs Granger remarked gently as the little family settled in their cosy sitting room. "What happened, love?"

Hermione sighed and before she knew it she was spilling the whole story to her parents: Umbridge, the D.A., Harry and Ginny's expulsion and subsequent flight, and finally her fight with Ron. Her parents listened in sympathetic silence while Hermione talked herself out.

"Oh, honey." Mrs Granger hugged her daughter.

"I just wish I knew what to do," Hermione said sadly. "I want to talk to Ron, but he's still so angry at me."

"Do you really think Harry might have killed your professor?" Mr Granger asked.

"Not of his own free will," Hermione quickly answered. "Harry is very honourable and while he has a temper, he would never hurt anyone. I'm just worried he might have been forced to do something horrible against his will. I know that's what Professor Dumbledore is worried about as well."

Three days into the summer holidays, Hermione was relaxing in her parents' garden reading a book. She looked up as her mother accompanied a young woman out towards her.

The young woman was smartly dressed in a white blouse and black pencil skirt. Something about her just seemed very official. Hermione stood up and felt a bit out of place in her shorts and t-shirt.

"Hermione Granger?" The young woman asked.

Hermione nodded and shook the proffered hand. The woman said, "I'm Emma Charles, Intelligence Officer in the Counter Terrorism unit. I wondered if you had a few minutes to talk to me."

Glancing at her mother, who nodded, Hermione replied, "Of course. Let's go inside."

The three women headed back into the house and were soon seated around the kitchen table. Mrs Granger brought them over cold glasses of juice and the two Grangers looked at the officer.

"I'm sorry, Miss Charles, but why are you here?" Hermione asked politely.

Emma smiled. "I am part of the team investigating the death of Madam Umbridge and the bus passengers last month. I'm sure you are aware that your friends, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, have been named as persons of interest in the case."

Hermione nodded, her mind racing. She had no idea what she was allowed to say to the Intelligence office. Obviously the Statue of Secrecy would come into play, but she didn't know what story had already been given.

"Can you tell me, in your own words, what happened the day your professor was murdered?"

Taking a deep breath, Hermione replied, "I was at lunch with Harry and our friend, Ron Weasley, Ginny's brother. Ginny came into the dining hall and asked if Harry could help her. He agreed and left the dining hall with her. Harry never showed up for our next class. Ron and I were worried about him because it wasn't like Harry to just not show up for class.

"Before the class period ended, Madam Umbridge came over the loudspeaker and announced that Harry and Ginny had been expelled."

Emma nodded. "That is what we were told. Have you heard from either Mr Potter or Miss Weasley?"

"No ma'am," Hermione replied honestly. "I don't know if they would contact me."

"Have either of them ever been here?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. I've been to Ginny's house – that's where we usually got together outside of school."

Emma nodded again as she looked through her notebook. "The Weasleys live just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole, is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Emma closed her notebook and looked directly at the younger girl. "Hermione, have you ever felt unsafe around Mr Potter?"

"No, never," Hermione replied promptly.

"Neighbours of his relatives have reported he was something of a juvenile delinquent and had a very bad reputation in his primary school," Emma said.

"He never got on well with his relatives," Hermione explained. "I don't know why, but they were never very nice to him. I know his cousin used to pick on him all the time and he always had to do a lot of chores."

"I understand he ended up with his aunt and uncle after his parents were killed," Emma remarked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, when he was fifteen months old. Halloween 1981."

"Some have suggested that the group who killed his parents may be the group behind the murders," Emma explained.

"I've heard that as well," Hermione said in relief. "Harry felt…a bit threatened at times. Both he and Professor Dumbledore thought that perhaps the group might go after him now that he was older."

"Do you know much about this group? The Death Eaters, I believe they call themselves."

Hermione felt a moment of unreality discussing Death Eaters with two Muggles. "Not really, ma'am. I just know after Harry's parents were killed the group was inactive for quite a long time."

"What about the mugging of Harry and his cousin last summer?"

"Harry just told me that he and his cousin were on their way home when they were attacked by two men. Harry managed to fight them off and get both him and his cousin back home. As far as I know, no one was ever accused of the crime," Hermione explained.

Emma stood up. "Thank you for your help Miss Granger." She handed the younger woman a card. "If you hear from either of them, please let me know. If they are innocent, they have nothing to fear from us. We need to know what happened."

"I understand," Hermione said as she accompanied the officer to the door.

Once she closed the door behind the officer, she turned to her mother. Something in her mother's expression brought her defences down and she flung herself at her mother and started sobbing. Mrs Granger wrapped her daughter in her arms and held her.


	5. Chapter 5 Bannockburn

**A/N: Thank you to my betas StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent. Just a note that in the UK the bottom floor of a house is the ground floor and the next floor up is the first floor.  
**

* * *

_**July 3 – August 25, 1996**_

Harry hugged Betty and shook hands with Curtis. "Thank you so much for all of your help."

Betty stepped back to her husband after they both hugged Ginny. "You are so welcome, dear. Good Luck with everything."

After throwing their bags in the back of the van, Harry and Ginny climbed into the van of the person that had shown up to take them to their next home. Harry was a bit leery about trusting a total stranger, but the man seemed friendly enough and didn't appear to recognize them at all.

"I'm Ed. I don't really want to know your names – trust me, it's safer that way," he said as he swung into the driver's seat. Ed didn't say anything else until he'd reached the A9 and started heading south. "I'm taking the two of you to the Bannockburn Heritage Centre near Stirling. You will go through the exhibit and then go into the gift shop. There you will each purchase a small Scottish flag. Head out onto the battlefield and wait near the statue of Robert the Bruce. Your driver for the second half of your journey will approach you there. He will be wearing a shirt with the flag on it as well."

"Okay," Harry said after thinking over Ed's instructions.

Ed smiled at the look of confusion of the teens' faces. "I know it seems like a lot of cloak and dagger stuff, but this protects all of us. I don't know where you're going and the other driver won't know where you started."

"That makes sense," Ginny said after exchanging a look with Harry.

Ed proved to be an entertaining driver and regaled them with the story of the Battle of Bannockburn. He claimed that one of his ancestors had fought on the side of Robert the Bruce when he won the battle against King Edward II of England. Harry was quite entertained, although he did wonder about the accuracy of some of Ed's claims.

As he listened to Ed's stories, he could help but feel a bit envious that Ed obviously knew so much about his family history. He didn't even know his grandparents' names, much less what his family was doing in the 14th century. He resolved that once they had found their way home, he would ask Sirius if he knew any Potter family history.

It was early afternoon by the time they reached the Bannockburn battlefield. After bidding goodbye to Ed, the teens shouldered their bags and headed into the visitor's centre as they had been instructed. Hand-in-hand they wandered through the exhibit and even stopped to watch the short educational film on the battle.

In the gift shop, Harry wandered around looking at everything they had for sale. For some reason the postcards kept drawing his attention. He walked over to the rack holding the postcards and picked up one that depicted the Wallace monument.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked as she joined him.

"I've been thinking about what you asked – about contacting Hermione," he explained. "I think if we send a postcard and don't sign it, she should get it. She would recognize our handwriting. Plus if we send it from here, they won't know where we are."

Ginny's face lit with excitement. "That's a great idea. What do we say?"

Heading up to the checkout counter, Harry asked, "Do you sell stamps so I can send this from here?"

"Aye, lad. We sell stamps and there is a post box just outside the centre."

"Brilliant!" Harry quickly paid for the post card, stamp, and the two Scottish flags. He quickly scrawled a note on the other side of post card and carefully wrote out Hermione's address. He'd had her address since the summer after his first year, but had never needed to use it. He was sorry to say he'd spent some time staring at it wondering what his friend's house was like and wishing he was there instead of at the Dursley's. As a result, he'd memorized her address.

After posting the postcard, the young couple headed out into the battlefield. Ginny nudged Harry in the ribs and gestured towards a ghostly Scottish warrior drifting over the battlefield.

Harry waved as the warrior looked in their direction and the warrior nodded at them before drifting the in the other direction. "I never realized how many ghosts there were."

Ginny shrugged not nearly as impressed with the ghosts as Harry. "They are all around us."

"Were all ghosts witches or wizards?"

"I think so," Ginny replied. "I don't honestly know for certain."

The couple stopped under the large statue of Robert the Bruce and waited. Harry scanned the area a bit nervously. He was concerned that no one would show up or that someone they didn't want would show up. After they had been waiting for about ten minutes, Ginny said, "Look, over there."

Approaching them was a relatively young, dark haired man with a Scottish flag t-shirt. He had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and a ball cap on his head. The man was looking around the statue and his eyes seemed to light upon the young couple.

"Awrite! I'm Angus. Ye look like the pair looking for a ride. I'm a friend of Lily."

Harry let out a relieved breath. "Hello. We are friends of Lily also."

"Excellent." Angus reached out for Ginny's bag and gestured them out to the car park. He led the way to his van. "We have an almost three hour drive, so get comfortable."

The two teens climbed into the back seat and soon they were back on the road and heading south. Angus wasn't as talkative as Ed had been, but he had some music playing and soon Ginny was resting her head on Harry's shoulder sleeping. Harry smiled as he adjusted his arm around her and kissed her on top of the head.

He was a bit nervous – he really had no idea where they were going, but he was very glad that Ginny was with him. As they sped out of Scotland, Harry's eyes drifted shut as well. He woke a while later and noticed Ginny was still sleeping. Looking out the window he couldn't really tell where they were. Angus' eyes met his in the mirror.

"Aye, we're in England," Angus answered his unasked question. "We've about another thirty minutes to go."

A short time later, Ginny woke up. Harry looked down as she lifted her head up. The thought crossed his mind that she looked awfully cute when she was waking up.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied as she looked out the windows. "Where are we? It's really pretty around here."

"We're in the Lake District National Park," Angus answered.

The rest of the drive passed quickly as the teens looked out the window admiring the scenery. "I hope the house we'll be staying is close to here," Harry remarked.

"I dinna ken," Angus said. "I'm dropping ye off at the kirk of Keswick St. John's." Nodding, Harry turned back to the scenery. They soon turned off A66 and crossed the Greta River into the town of Keswick. Suddenly Harry noticed a church steeple looming in the distance.

"That must be the church," he said, pointing to the steeple.

Angus merely nodded and soon he was pulling into the car park at the church. Luckily there were very few cars, so finding the red Astra was easily accomplished. A tall, lanky man wearing a business suit was standing by the car.

Pulling into the slot next to the Astra, Angus rolled down his window. "Are ye a friend of Lily?"

"I am," the man replied.

Angus nodded to the teens who grabbed their bags and left the car. With a wave, Angus took off and left the young couple standing in front of the other man. He gave them a friendly smile.

"Hello, I'm David Harper."

"Hi, I'm Harry and this is Ginny." Harry shook the man's hand.

"It's nice to meet you," David replied. He opened the boot and the two placed their bags inside.

Once everyone was in the car, David said, "I'm a manager at the bank here in Keswick, but my wife and I live in the town of Applethwaite which is just up the road. My wife, Deena, is a teacher at the secondary school."

Harry nodded, not really sure of what to say. David smiled. "My sister's a witch, if you're wondering. My wife and I are both what you would call Muggles. My sister became involved in this group back in the seventies and asked if Deena and I would help out."

As he drove north of town, David told the two about the area. "You are here at a great time of year. It's very beautiful and there are a lot of outdoors activities. There are hiking trails, sailing – both Deena and I love to sail – lots of activities in town. I think you'll really like it here."

"That sounds like fun," Ginny said. "My uncle has a sailboat. We go sailing sometimes when we visit him."

Soon David was pulling up to a beautiful detached home. He smiled at the look on Ginny's face. "Beautiful, isn't it? This is why we live here."

He led the way up the stairs and into the house proper where a pretty blonde woman was waiting. After greeting his wife with a kiss, David turned to the two teens. "This is my wife, Deena. Deena, this is Harry and Ginny."

"Welcome to our home," Deena said as she greeted them.

"Thank you," Ginny said shyly. "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you," Deena replied. "Let me show you two around."

The ground floor consisted of a large living room and dining room to the right of the entrance hall. The master bedroom was along the back of the house. To the left of the entrance hall was a large modern kitchen leading to an L-shaped, glass-walled conservatory with a view of the mountains.

"This is amazing," Harry remarked as they looked out of the conservatory windows.

"We think so as well," Deena replied with a smile. "Let me show you upstairs."

They followed her up the stairs and found a large open landing. An office was set up against the back wall to the right of the stairs. There were three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a large walk-in storage closet on the first floor. Ginny was given the largest room with the ensuite shower room while Harry took the room on the other side of the house. It wasn't quite as large as Ginny's room, but it was much larger than his room back on Privet Drive.

Deena seemed happy they were so pleased with their accommodations. "If you'd like to clean up, dinner should be ready soon. I understand the two of you have had a long trip."

* * *

Sirius waited nervously in his cousin's sitting room. "Thanks for doing this, Andi."

She smiled over at him. "I'm just glad I can do something. When I talked to the Aurors when you were arrested, they didn't want to hear you weren't guilty. I told them you weren't Dark, but they thought I was covering for you." She shook her head. "My sister is a Death Eater and both my brothers-in-law are Death Eaters. I freely told them that, I told them you were different and that you hated the Dark Arts."

Sirius smiled. "I appreciate that. I think they made up their minds as soon as they heard my last name. Dumbledore didn't help matters much either."

"Surely he didn't do that on purpose?" Andromeda asked.

Sirius shook his head. "He didn't, but he never bothered to talk to me or ask me what happened. He went to the Wizengamot and testified against me without giving me the courtesy of letting me defend myself. I guess he was too busy putting my godson with his horrible relatives."

"Sorry," he continued. "I'm a little bitter at the moment. Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard and he has a great grasp of the large picture, but he doesn't have a very good grasp of the smaller issues. He never talked to me before he dropped Harry off with his abusive relatives and never bothered to check on him. I think he's trying to do too much and he's letting little things slip through the cracks."

"You could be right," came a voice from the doorway.

The cousins turned to see Albus Dumbledore entering the room. Sirius was struck by how old the man looked.

"I owe you an apology," Dumbledore said sadly. "I fell into the same trap as everyone else. I should have taken the time to talk to you and ask you what had happened."

Sirius eyed the older wizard. "I won't deny I'm angry about that, but I think Crouch had more of a role in that than you did. I'm upset about your treatment of Harry. Even if you overlook the abuse at his home, he had been horribly treated while he was at Hogwarts. He's faced Voldemort how many times? Did you not notice Moody acting a little odd?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I know. I did not follow up on any of the inconsistencies I noticed in Moody's behaviour. I hadn't worked with him in over a decade – anything odd I chalked up to the time that had passed. I was more consumed with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. This is not the first time you have said Harry thinks I abandoned him, did he say something to you?"

"Not to me," Sirius replied. "Ginny. One of the nights they were talking over the Christmas hols. That's when I learned about the abuse at the Dursleys'."

"Abuse?" Albus questioned sharply. "I know he wasn't treated well, but what makes you say he was abused?"

"Hearing him talk about beatings, his uncle breaking his arm and withholding medical care, his aunt withholding food – did you know he lived in a cupboard until he got his first Hogwarts letter?" Sirius asked, fired up again.

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. Andromeda excused herself to answer the door and Sirius fell silent and he listened to the voices coming closer. He felt the dread rising up in him and suddenly felt quite sick. He sank down onto the sofa with his eyes glued nervously on the door.

Soon Andromeda returned accompanied by a woman he recognized as Amelia Bones. She had already left Hogwarts before the Marauders started, but she had been friendly with James' parents. He hadn't known her well, but enough that he recognized her.

Sirius stood nervously. "Ma'am."

She surveyed him from head to toe and Sirius was suddenly worried that he hadn't dressed appropriately for the meeting. He'd asked Tonks and Emmeline to purchase some new dress robes for him, so he was wearing his new grey robes with black trim and his new black boots.

"Sirius Black." Madam Bones looked around the room and greeted Dumbledore before she sat down across from Sirius.

"Tell me your story," she said.

Sirius told her everything. He told her about the Marauders and their project to keep Remus company. He told her about the decision he and James had made to switch Secret Keepers and he told her about his escape. For the first time since that night in the Shrieking Shack, he revealed how he'd escaped from Azkaban.

Madam Bones listened quietly as Sirius talked himself out. She pulled out a sheaf of parchment as he began talking and made notes as he spoke. Once he'd fallen silent, she started asking questions.

She turned to Dumbledore. "When did you become aware of this?"

"Two years ago," he replied. "He told me what had happened, but by that time Fudge was already there with the Dementors." He then explained how Harry and Hermione had rescued Sirius and set him free.

She raised her eyebrow at that. "You take a lot on yourself. Did it not occur to you to put Fudge off and consult with me? As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it should have been my department you consulted."

"I did not believe the Wizengamot would take the word of an escaped convict, a werewolf, and three underage wizards."

"I believe you underestimate our system of justice," she replied evenly. "Just by virtue of the fact he never had a trial in the first place, his case would demand a second look."

She turned to look at Sirius. "Does any documentation of the switch exist?"

"I'm not certain," Sirius replied. "James may have put something in his vault."

She glanced at Dumbledore. "Has anyone been in his vault?"

"No, it is being held in trust for Harry. He has been using a trust vault, the family vault is being held until he is of age."

Amelia shook her head. "Are there any Aurors whom you implicitly trust?"

"Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt," Dumbledore replied promptly.

Amelia pulled her wand and sent a message to both of them. While they were waiting, Amelia pulled a form from her robes and began filling out it out. In a short period of time, the Aurors arrived at the Tonks home.

She handed them the form. "This will allow you to access James and Lily Potter's vault. Please look and see if there is any documentation regarding their Secret Keeper."

Kingsley nodded and the two of the headed out to Diagon Alley. Amelia turned back to Sirius. "Would you be willing to testify under Veritaserum?"

Sirius swallowed heavily, but nodded. "Yes, I would."

"I will contact you shortly," she replied. Standing she said, "I would like to investigate any paperwork that was filed in your case." For the first time since she arrived, she smiled. "I don't believe there will be any problems, Mr Black."

* * *

Deena smiled as Harry and Ginny entered the kitchen. "Good morning."

"Good morning," they replied.

"I didn't know what you would want," Deena said. "I have cereal and fruit this morning."

"That's great," Ginny replied. Harry agreed and the teens sat down to the table.

Deena brought three cups of tea to the table and sat down with them. "I hope everything was okay last night."

"Great," Ginny agreed. "I still can't believe I have a bathroom attached to my bedroom. I thought the last house was great when there was one for just me and Harry to use."

Deena laughed. "Good. I'm glad. Did you grow up in a small house?"

"Not small," Ginny clarified. "We just only had one bathroom. I wonder now why my parents never thought to add another one. I have six brothers so we could have used one."

"Wow, six brothers," Deena said, "that's a big family."

"Yes and I'm the youngest," Ginny explained.

"What about you?" she asked Harry.

"Me?" Harry asked instinctively. He wasn't used to having to tell his story and he found he kind of liked it. "I'm an only child. My parents were killed when I was a baby, so I was raised by my aunt and uncle."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Deena replied, raising her hand to her mouth.

Harry shrugged. "It's okay, you didn't know."

Deena met his eyes and seemed to realize she had not hurt his feelings. "So, are you both…magical?"

Both teens started laughing. Ginny answered, "Yes. My whole family is magical and I was raised in the magical world."

"I was raised in the Muggle world as my aunt and uncle are Muggles," Harry explained. "My mum was like your sister-in-law, a Muggle-born witch. My dad's family was all magical."

"Sorry if I'm asking too many questions," Deena replied. "I'm just so curious. When I first met Michelle, I didn't believe that she was a witch. Over the years I've slowly learned more about that world, but it just fascinates me."

Ginny smiled. "That's okay, my dad's the same way about Muggles."

Reassured, Deena nodded. "Okay, once you're done eating, we'll head into the conservatory. I want to find out a bit about your educational background. I want to find out what your needs are so we can plan how I can help you."

The teens nodded and finished their breakfast. Harry took their bowls to the sink and rinsed them out before placing them into the dishwasher. The three of them headed out to the conservatory.

Deena placed herself across from the two of them. She picked up a spiral notebook and pen. "Can you tell me about the subjects you've studied at school?"

Ginny and Harry exchanged a nervous glance. Harry is the one who answered, "We study Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and the History of Magic. After our second year we can add classes, I've also taken Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Ginny added Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes."

"That's not much help," Deena mused. "No literature or maths?"

Ginny shook her head and looked over at Harry nervously. She'd never read any Muggle literature except the books Hermione had given her, she wasn't even certain if those were the type of books Deena was talking about.

"How much do you know about Science? Do you know about cells?"

Ginny shook her head at the same time as Harry nodded.

"Atoms? The Climate? The Earth?"

Ginny looked quite upset. "My mum taught me about weather and working with the land. I know about animals and such, but I've never heard of atoms or cells."

Harry reached over and put his hand on hers. "It's okay, Ginny."

"No, it's not!" Ginny jerked her hand out of his. "I don't know anything that Muggle children learn in school."

To Harry's shock, Ginny ran out of the room. He heard her run up the stairs and slam her door. He turned to Deena, who also seemed surprised by the turn of events.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to make her feel badly," Deena said.

"Ginny's really smart," Harry said a touch defensively. "She's a Pureblood witch and she's never spent any time in the Muggle world before. She's been working so hard."

Deena sighed. "It was suggested to me that the two of you be prepared for school, but that might not be the best plan. Ginny is a very sweet girl, but she'd get eaten alive at most of the secondary schools I've seen. Not only doesn't she know the subjects, but she doesn't have the same frame of reference as other girls her age."

She seemed lost in thought. "Let me talk to the Cumbria County Council and see what they recommend."

"No, wouldn't they just say we have to go to school?"

Deena shook her head. "No. Any parent or guardian can choose to home educate their child and no curriculum needs to be presented. They have resources that I can use to teach Ginny some of these basic concepts and catch you up to where you should be. We'll try to work something out."

"Okay," Harry said dubiously. "I'm going to check on Ginny."

He hurried up the stairs to Ginny's room. He knocked softly on the door, but didn't receive an answer. He hesitated outside the door for a moment, but then decided to just open it.

The sight that met him broke his heart; Ginny was curled up on her bed crying. He quickly crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Please don't cry, Gin," Harry said as he ran his hand down her back. To his dismay, it only made her cry harder. He glanced at the still open door to her room and wondered what he should do.

Making up his mind, he kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed next to her. He somewhat clumsily manoeuvred so she was at least now crying on him and not her pillow. Wrapping both arms around her, he murmured words of comfort to her and held her while she cried. He hated the fact that she was so upset; he could feel the front of his t-shirt getting wet from her tears.

Eventually her tears slowed down and Harry could feel her steady breath against his neck. "Are you okay, Baby?"

Ginny sniffed and nodded. "I'm sorry I got so upset. I…I just felt like I'd come so far and learned so much and she started asking questions and I felt so stupid."

"You are not stupid," Harry said sharply. "You just learned different things."

"I guess I know that, but sometimes I feel like that stupid little girl Tom fooled. Plus, I miss my family. I mentioned my dad this morning and all during breakfast I kept thinking about him. He would be so thrilled that I've been living in the Muggle world and I can't even tell him about it."

"Oh, Baby. I'm sorry, I never even thought about that," Harry said, pulling her close again. "I miss Sirius. I've never really had anyone to miss before, I didn't even think about you missing your family."

Ginny relaxed into his arms. "Can we just stay up here for a while?"

"Of course," Harry said.

He kissed her on top of the head and she shifted over so she was more comfortable on his chest. Within a few minutes, both teens had fallen asleep.

* * *

Hermione heard the mail come through the mail slot. She set down her book and headed over to pick it up. A small pile of mail lay on the entryway floor.

She picked it up and started sorting through it. Most of it was bills or catalogues; she headed to her mum's desk to set down the stack when she noticed a postcard. She fished the postcard out of the stack and looked at it.

The picture was of a monument she didn't recognize right away. Turning it over, she had to suppress a scream. She would recognize Harry's scrawl anywhere.

_Hermione,_

_Sorry to contact you this way. I hope you got through OWLs without any problems – I'm sure you did. We are both fine and doing well. I hope I don't have to tell you that the official version is not correct. We both miss our families and hope to see them soon. We are safe. If you're unsure, I'll tell you that Norbert is now happy in Romania._

The handwriting changed to another one that Hermione recognized as well.

_Please tell everyone I'm fine and I miss them. We hope to get home soon._

Tears filled her eyes as she traced Harry's handwriting. They were safe and still together. Hearing from him that he hadn't killed anyone reassured her in a way nothing else could. She had always known he would never have killed them in his right mind, but Ginny would never have set a Basilisk on her in her right mind, either. In her worst imaginings, Harry under Voldemort's control had killed Ginny along with the others and had gone to join him. She was never so glad to be proven wrong before.

It surprised her a bit that it hadn't been intercepted, but maybe they didn't realize who it was from. She knew she needed to let someone know right away. Looking at the card again, she saw that it was from the Bannockburn battlefield in Scotland. It surprised her that they were still in Scotland; she would have thought they'd have fled as soon as they left Hogwarts.

Not for the first time, she wished she had an owl to communicate with the magical world. She racked her brains trying to think of an easy way to contact someone and also who she should contact. Part of her wanted to contact Professor Dumbledore right away, but she wasn't entirely sure if that was what she should do.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She hurried over to her school bag and pulled out her Ancient Runes notes. On the back page, she found the number she had scrawled during one of their study sessions.

Grabbing the phone off the wall, she quickly dialed the number. To her delight, Justin answered the phone on the second ring. She vaguely explained the situation, not wanting to say much over the phone and Justin rose to the occasion admirably, promising to send his owl out immediately.

Within twenty minutes, a brown barn owl was scratching at her window. She had her letter ready and sent it out with the owl. Now all she could do was wait.

* * *

Ginny woke up feeling warm and protected. She looked up and saw Harry sleeping next to her. Her face heated with embarrassment as she remembered her outburst that morning. Peeking up at Harry, she thought again that she was glad she was with him. Hermione was a great friend, but at times she made Ginny feel a bit stupid.

"Are you okay?" came a soft voice next to her.

She looked up into his beautiful emerald eyes. "I'm sorry for losing it. I'm better; I think I just got overwhelmed."

He leaned down and kissed her gently. "It's okay. I think you are doing so well, I know how hard it is to make it in a different world. I've been in the magical world for five years and I still run into things I don't know."

"Thank you," she whispered.

She propped herself up on one elbow so she was looking down on him. Slowly she leaned down and kissed him. As always when she was in his arms, she lost herself in the sensation. Tentatively, she opened her mouth and ran her tongue along his lips. He responded immediately by opening his mouth as well. A thrill ran through her as his tongue tangled with hers.

Running her hand through his hair, she snuggled up closer to him. His hand slowly ran up her body. She revelled at how gentle his touch was. He slowly inched one of his hands under the hem of her shirt and caressed the soft skin of her back. His other arm was circled around her and nestled into her hair.

She lost track of time as she explored his mouth and bravely ran her hand up his chest. She wanted to slide her hand under his shirt, but didn't feel quite that brave. As he moved his lips to her neck, Ginny felt herself melt.

Eventually Harry said, "Ginny, we need to stop."

His voice was very husky and his lips were rather swollen. As much as Ginny wanted to continue, she knew he was right. With a sigh, she laid her head back on his chest. She could hear his heart beating rapidly and she felt a bit of pride that she'd caused that.

Once she felt his heart slow down, she lifted her head. "I've been thinking. We should change our look again. If they go to Bannockburn and find out what we look like, that could be bad."

"Damn," Harry swore softly. "You're right, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I shouldn't have sent that postcard."

"No," Ginny said. "I agreed with that. We needed to let them know we are alright. I can only imagine my family and Sirius must be going nuts by now."

He smiled at her as he lifted one of her hands and pressed a kiss in her palm. "Thank you, you always know what to say to me."

Giggling, she hopped up off the bed. "Come on, let's find Deena. She'll know of some place to get our look changed."

The two of them headed downstairs to find Deena. She agreed with their idea. "I think we should go across to Darlington. It's about an hour and a half to two hours away. I grew up near there and know a great hairdresser. That way no one around here will know what you look like now."

"That's great," Harry said.

"Okay," Deena smiled. "I think we can head over to Darlington tomorrow. In the meantime…" She reached into her bag and pulled out several workbooks. "I spoke to a woman who had chosen to educate her children at home. She recommended several workbooks and I was able to find several of them."

She handed the larger stack to Ginny. "I think that you might know more than you think you do, but you learned it differently than Harry or I did. Go through the workbooks and see what you know and what you don't. It's a beautiful day outside, why don't the two of you take your workbooks outside and work?"

Taking the workbooks and pencils she offered, the two headed out to the back garden. Like everything else in the house, the garden was beautifully done. There were multiple levels and seating areas. Harry let Ginny choose where she wanted to work. She chose a seating area that included a small table with four chairs and faced the picturesque Skiddaw Mountain. Settling at the table, they started to work.

* * *

Remus was eating lunch at Grimmauld Place when a strange owl flew in with mail. He lazily reached out and took the note from the bird and offered him part of his sandwich. The owl hooted and drank some of his juice and took the crust offered to him before flying off.

To his surprise, the note was written on lined notebook paper, not parchment. On the outside was written – _Professor Lupin_ - in Hermione's neat script.

Opening the note, he read it eagerly.

_Dear Professor Lupin,_

_I'm sorry to bother you during summer, but I have a question I was hoping you could answer for me. Remember during our third year when you taught me that charm against Dementors? I've been having problems with the charm and I was hoping you could help me with it. I'm at home during the day if you have time to stop by._

_Hermione Granger_

Remus reread the letter, his brow furrowing in confusion. He hadn't taught Hermione the Patronus, he'd taught…Harry. She must have some information about Harry. He stood abruptly and hurried out to the alley behind the house. He Apparated to Hermione's back garden.

He knocked on the door and was relieved when Hermione opened it immediately.

"Professor, I'm so glad you came." Hermione looked around the garden before she shut the door behind him. She handed him the postcard and watched as he read it.

"They're alive."

She nodded, tears sparkling in her eyes. "They are alive."

"You're sure it's from them?" Remus asked anxiously. He recognized both Harry and Ginny's writing, but he wanted to make certain – someone could have forged their handwriting.

"Yes, Norbert is a dragon we helped Hagrid with in our first year."

She was shocked to see the tears in her former professor's eyes. "Thank God."

He looked over at her, "Would you be able to come to Headquarters for the afternoon? I know some people will want to talk to you."

Hermione nodded. "Let me call my mum first."

Remus waited while Hermione called her mother and told her she was going to see a friend in London. Her mother agreed, but asked her to call if she wasn't going to be home for dinner.

"Can we leave from here?" Hermione asked.

"We should leave from the back garden," Remus said. "I know protective charms have been placed on your house."

Nodding, Hermione quickly locked the front door and once they were in the back garden, she locked the back door as well. Taking Remus' arm, he Apparated them to the alley behind Grimmauld Place.

When they entered the house, Remus gestured for her to head down to the kitchen. Sirius and Bill were there when they arrived and Kreacher was puttering around the kitchen, muttering under his breath.

"Get out, Kreacher," Sirius snapped when he saw who had arrived.

Although Hermione looked a bit upset at Sirius' tone towards the elf, she didn't comment. Instead she held out the postcard. "Look."

"Merlin," Sirius breathed. "Harry, he's okay." He reached out with a shaky hand to take the card and Bill gasped as he read the card over Sirius' shoulder.

Hermione nodded and she explained about Norbert again. Bill turned and threw some floo powder into the fireplace and called, "Arthur Weasley's office – Misuse of Muggle Artifacts."

Within a moment Arthur's head appeared in the fireplace. Before he could say anything, Bill said, "Dad, you need to come over here."

He stepped back and Arthur stepped through. Wordlessly, Sirius handed Arthur the postcard.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Arthur said. He flipped over the post card and turned it back over again. "They are in Scotland?"

"It's worth checking, don't you think?" Bill asked. He read from the card, "The Wallace Memorial at the Bannockburn Battlefield." He looked up at Remus. "Do you know where that is?"

Remus nodded. "We need to let Dumbledore know."

"Why?" Sirius growled.

Remus just looked at him. "Sirius, he needs to know."

"He wants to throw Harry in jail," Sirius said angrily.

"Sirius, I agree with Remus," Arthur said gently. "You may have disagreements with him, but he has contacts and knowledge we don't have."

"Fine," Sirius grumbled. "But I'm going no matter what he says."

Sirius hurried upstairs to change while the others contacted Dumbledore. By the time Sirius arrived back downstairs in jeans and a collared shirt, Dumbledore was already there. Sirius cast glamours changing his hair to a sandy blonde colour and shortening it to above his collar. He didn't want to take the chance of getting caught this close to possibly winning his freedom.

Dumbledore looked up when Sirius arrived and nodded curtly. "I've spoken to Kingsley. He will meet us there."

He looked around at the group ranged around him. "Miss Granger, are you going to accompany us?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes sir."

Hermione, Remus, Sirius, and Bill were all dressed in Muggle clothing. Dumbledore looked at Arthur. "We need to change our clothing."

With a few waves of their wands the two men were dressing in Muggle clothing. Arthur had changed into trousers and a button up shirt, similar to what Remus was wearing. Albus was wearing a blue suit with an almost electric blue shirt. Hermione smiled at his choice, but didn't say anything.

Dumbledore pulled a quill out of his pocket and directed everyone to touch it. With the disquieting sensation of being pulled through a tube, all of them arrived in a secluded area of the battlefield.

Taking a moment to get their bearings, Hermione pointed out the visitors' centre. "That's probably where they bought the post card."

"Hermione, why don't you, Sirius, and Remus talk to anyone working in the shop," Dumbledore said. "Bill, Arthur, and I will see what we can discover out here." He looked over at Kingsley who said, "I'll go into the shop with them."

The group split up and the four of them headed into the visitors' centre. There was a young girl working behind the counter selling tickets. Kingsley stepped forward and took charge.

"Excuse me, Miss." Kingsley smiled and to Hermione's surprise, flashed a badge at the girl. "We are looking for a young couple who came through here probably on Wednesday. Were you working on Wednesday?"

"Yes, sir," the girl replied. She seemed a bit overwhelmed by the group in front of her. She looked down at the pictures for a moment before shaking her head, "No, sir. I would remember someone with hair that colour."

"Of course," Kingsley said easily. "What if her hair were a different colour? Did you see any young couple come through here on Wednesday?"

The girl seemed to consider the matter before she brightened. "Yes, there was a couple through here on Wednesday." She giggled. "I remember, because he was really cute."

"Can you describe them?" Sirius asked.

"He was tall, probably over six feet and really fit," the girl said enthusiastically. "His hair was lighter than that picture; it was more of like a sandy blonde and kind of spiky. She was smaller than him with brown hair, she was very pretty. I remember they had rather large bags with them, like big rucksacks. They were English."

"Do you know what they did?" Kingsley asked.

The girl shrugged. "They paid cash for the tickets and I know they headed into the exhibit."

"Thank you," Kingsley said. He reached into his wallet and paid for the four of them to enter the exhibit.

"That would make sense," Kingsley said as they walked further into the centre. "Her hair is very distinctive; it would be the first thing I would recommend - to change her hair colour."

"Does this mean someone is helping them?" Hermione asked. "Even if they thought of it, I don't see them as colouring their hair by themselves."

"I think someone has to be helping them," Kingsley replied. "I just don't know when or where they met up with the person."

He discretely drew his wand and changed the pictures to agree with the description given by the girl. They headed into the gift shop and were lucky to once again find a clerk who had been working on Wednesday.

"Do you remember this couple?" Kingsley asked as he once again flashed his badge. "I know they bought this post card and posted it from here."

The clerk was an older man; he smiled as he looked at the pictures. "Aye, I remember them. Cute couple, they walked around the shop for a while looking at things and then the boy asked if we sold stamps. I told him we did and told him where the post box is. If I recall correctly they just bought the one card with a stamp and the two Scottish flags."

"Scottish flags?" Kingsley asked.

The clerk nodded and pointed out the type the couple had purchased. "They headed out onto the battlefield."

"Did they seem upset or happy? What were they doing?"

"They seemed quite happy – holding hands and laughing and talking together. I noticed them at first because they were so happy together. She was looking at the stuffed animals and he was gently teasing her. I think he wanted to get one for her, but she kept saying no. I saw him post the card and they were waiting by the statue of Robert the Bruce."

"Waiting?" Kingsley asked.

"Aye," the clerk replied. "They were standing there for a good ten to fifteen minutes." He laughed, "Oh to be young and in love again. They were cuddling and trading kisses, it was very sweet."

"Did you see them leave?" Kingsley asked.

The clerk's brow furrowed slightly. "I had other customers. I saw them walking away with another young man. Let me think…he was shorter than that young man with a ball cap and longish, dark hair in a ponytail. They headed off to the car park."

"Thank you," Kingsley said.

As they headed out to the battlefield, Hermione remarked, "They were really cooperative. It's amazing how much they remembered."

Kingsley laughed. "It's the badge, Hermione. There are charms on the badge that enlist cooperation and mildly enhance their memories."

"Really?" Hermione couldn't decide if she was more curious or outraged.

"They are minor charms," Kingsley replied. "It saves us from coming up with cover stories as to why we are asking about these people and helps us gather information they might not share otherwise."

Heading over to the statue, they met up with the rest of the group. Kingsley quickly shared what they had learned and showed them the updated pictures of the couple.

Dumbledore nodded as he listened. Once Kingsley had told them everything he had discovered, Dumbledore said, "We also made a discovery." He gestured to a ghostly warrior on the battlefield. "That warrior noticed them as well. They waved to him. He says other than us, Harry and Ginny are the first magical people he has seen in quite some time."

"Did he see them leave?" Kingsley asked. "I can't figure out how they got here and left. There is a bus they could have arrived on, but it seems they knew to wait for this young man to pick them up."

"I am going to talk to the shop clerk," Dumbledore announced.

Kingsley nodded as he discretely cast some spells. At a word from Sirius, the other men hid him from view for a moment as he transformed into Padfoot. He sniffed around the statue before barking excitedly. He sniffed around and headed to the car park. A few moments later, Sirius returned looking a bit distressed.

"I picked up their scent fairly easily, but I lost them in the car park," he explained.

Before he could say anything further, the air seemed to shimmer and suddenly the afternoon was filled with popping sounds. Sirius swore as a group of Death Eaters came into view.

"Hermione, do you have your wand?" Kingsley asked urgently.

She shook her head as she bit back a whimper. He quickly cast a spell on her. "You are invisible now. Find someplace to hide, the spell isn't perfect and they can still hit you."

* * *

She ran out onto the battlefield as the Death Eaters seemed to be converging on the Heritage Centre. She watched in horror as the Death Eaters casually killed a couple fleeing in terror.

The wizards immediately sprang into action. Bill seemed to be placing shield charms to protect the Muggles while the others moved to engage the Death Eaters. Professor Dumbledore strode out of the Heritage Centre to confront the Death Eaters.

Hermione couldn't hear anything so she presumed someone had cast a silencing spell. She was impressed with the speed of the spells being exchanged between the two groups. A part of her was glad she didn't have her wand, she wasn't certain she would have been able to keep up with the spell fire. She vividly remembered Harry yelling at her and Ron that they didn't know what it was like and watching this, she would have to agree.

A flash of green caught her eye and she realized with horror it was the Killing Curse. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the gift shop clerk fall from the curse. Suddenly the fight was over and the Death Eaters started popping away. Two Death Eaters had been captured, but three of the Muggles lay dead.

Kingsley looked around and seemed to catch sight of Hermione. He aimed his wand at her and she realized she was suddenly visible. She hurried back to the others. Mr Weasley hurried over to her and wrapped her in a hug. "Are you alright?"

"That was awful," she sobbed.

"I know, dear," he responded soothingly. He led her over to a bench near the statue. She jumped when more wizards started showing up. "Don't worry," he said. "They are from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. They will help sort out what happened and modify the Muggles' memories accordingly."

"What?" Hermione looked up and gratefully took the handkerchief Mr Weasley offered. "How can they be made to forget this?"

"Probably it will become a terrorist attack or bombing," Mr Weasley replied. He shrugged at the look of surprise on her face. "After the IRA bombing in Manchester last month, it won't be questioned. The Department usually works with the Muggle authorities to come up with the appropriate story."

Hermione nodded as she calmed slightly. Mr Weasley smiled at her gently. "Take my arm, we'll head back to Headquarters."

Gratefully, Hermione did as she was bid. One slightly nauseating journey later, they were back at Grimmauld Place. Mr Weasley gently guided her into the kitchen and quickly summoned his wife from the Burrow.

"Here you go, dear." Mrs Weasley handed her a mug of tea. Hermione automatically took a few sips. Within minutes she started relaxing.

"I'm sorry, dear. I added some Calming Draught to your tea," Mrs Weasley admitted.

"That's okay," Hermione smiled wanly. "I think I needed it."

Mrs Weasley sat down next to her. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, dear."

"It was awful," Hermione said sadly. "That poor shop clerk and that couple were just killed. It was funny, I kept thinking of Harry's parents. Did they just fall like that?"

Hermione shook her head and sipped her tea. The door opened and Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, and Bill entered.

Mrs Weasley looked up at them. "Is it true? Was Ginny there?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I was able to verify that Harry and Ginny were there on Wednesday." He turned to Sirius. "Is there a Pensieve here?"

Sirius nodded and hurried up to the Drawing Room. He returned in just a few minutes with a black and rather intricately carved Pensieve. He looked at Bill. "Can you just check this before it is used? I have no idea what sort of memories are stored in here, but the liquid is black."

Nodding Bill drew his wand and started casting a rather intricate spell. An awful shrieking sound spilled out of murky liquid. A black mist rose from the depths of the bowl and Bill quickly dispersed it. The liquid was now a pearly grey colour.

"It should be safe now."

"Thank you, William," Dumbledore said with a rather proud smile. He put his wand up to his temple and withdrew a strand of memory. After depositing the memory in the Pensieve, he prodded it with his wand. Smiling courteously at Hermione, he asked, "Are you familiar with the purpose of a Pensieve, Miss Granger?"

She blushed a bit, overwhelmed at speaking directly to the Headmaster. "Harry told me they can hold your thoughts and memories."

"Exactly," the venerable wizard replied. "We will be entering the shop clerk's memories. Because it is a relatively fresh memory, it should be rather rich in detail. We will be able to move around and follow the couple we suspect to be Harry and Ginny."

He looked around the room. "Let us enter the Pensieve."

Hermione was momentarily disoriented, but gasped as she spotted her friend entering the gift shop. The group drew closer to the young couple.

Mrs Weasley seemed quite relieved to see her daughter. Hermione saw her wiping away tears. "Her hair, what in Merlin's name did she do to her hair?"

Sirius quickly filled her in on their discussion at the Heritage Centre. She still looked a bit dubious, but nodded. "She looks a bit different. I think she's wearing makeup."

"Harry looks different as well," Sirius noted. He leaned in to watch his godson as he teased Ginny about the plush animals. "He isn't wearing glasses, but he doesn't seem to have any trouble with his vision."

Hermione gasped. "He must be wearing some type of contacts."

"They don't seem at all nervous," Bill observed as the couple discussed sending a post card to Hermione.

"Miss Granger, do their bags look familiar?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

She shook her head, "No, I've never seen them before. Their clothes are different as well."

Hermione watched them in amazement. They looked different, but that wasn't everything. They were acting differently as well. While she'd heard them described as a couple, she hadn't really believed them until now. As they left the Heritage Centre, Harry casually reached out and took Ginny's hand. That really surprised Hermione; she'd never seen Harry being so bold.

They followed the group around the battlefield, but as Harry and Ginny had left the building they couldn't hear anything. The couple stopped under the statue of Robert the Bruce and appeared to be waiting for someone.

Both teens set their rucksacks on the ground and to the surprise of most of the group, Ginny wrapped her arm around Harry's waist while he wrapped his around her shoulders. There was more than one uncomfortable moment as the group watched the young couple flirt and even kiss a time or two. Sirius seemed the least surprised of anyone, he actually smiled as he watched them. The three Weasleys seemed a bit uncomfortable to be intruding on such an intimate scene, while Professor Dumbledore seemed contemplative.

They saw Ginny pointing and saying something.

Looking where she was pointing, they saw a young man approaching the young couple. Unfortunately, Professor Dumbledore said, "That is all I was able to see before the Death Eaters arrived."

* * *

The group exited the Pensieve rather sombrely. Professor Dumbledore looked over at the Weasleys. "Does your daughter know anyone in Scotland who may have helped them?"

Mr and Mrs Weasley exchanged a look and shrugged helplessly. "Not that I know about, she's never mentioned anyone. As far as I know she only exchanges letters with family members," Mrs Weasley responded.

"I don't think it would be a kid," Bill put in. "Their clothes looked new and it would be rather expensive to buy new clothes for the two of them. If those bags are full of clothes - that's a lot of money."

Professor Dumbledore looked troubled. "I don't like the thought of them being beholden to someone for so much money."

"Ginny couldn't have had more than a few Galleons," Mr Weasley said in a concerned voice. "She doesn't know anyone with that amount of money."

Sirius laughed, "Of course she does. Harry could easily afford to buy entire wardrobes for both of them without even thinking about it."

"Would he have had that much money with him?" Hermione asked. "I don't think he usually has much money with him."

"He visited his vault over the Christmas holidays," Remus admitted.

"What?"

Sirius and Remus both cringed under the outcry from the Weasley parents and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore surveyed them over his glasses, disappointment evident in his face. "Why was he allowed to go to Gringotts?"

"He asked to," Sirius replied evenly. "He went Christmas shopping with Remus and Tonks. He pointed out that we were letting him go to St Mungo's so why not go to Diagon Alley."

"What?" Mrs Weasley exploded. "What gives you the right to let that boy go gallivanting off to Diagon Alley? He travelled to St Mungo's with multiple Order members. Diagon Alley?"

Sirius' faced hardened at Mrs Weasley's rant. "I gave him permission to go to Diagon Alley. They travelled there and back without incident."

"Why would he do that?" Hermione asked. "He should have asked Professor Dumbledore before leaving."

"He wanted to go Christmas shopping," Sirius replied icily. "Why would he need Dumbledore's permission? I am his guardian, I gave him permission."

Hermione was taken aback by Sirius' tone and didn't respond. Mrs Weasley however was undeterred. "That was completely irresponsible. He could have been captured. Do you not care for his safety?"

Sirius stood and glared at the woman angrily, "Of course I care about him. He was travelling with an Auror and another Order member and I would like to point out that no one would have known about it if Remus hadn't mentioned it."

"Molly," Mr Weasley said sharply, "this is not helping." He turned to Remus, "Do you know how much money he may have taken from his vault?"

Remus shook his head. "Tonks went down with him. As I recall she said he swept a bunch of Galleons into his moneybag. She might know more."

Bill cleared his throat. "Sirius can find out. He is Harry's legal guardian, he can inquire at Gringotts."

"That might not be a bad idea," Remus said calmly. "We would have a better idea how much money he has with him."

Clearly still angry, Sirius nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore looked over at Remus. "Will you accompany Miss Granger home? I need to go over to the Ministry. Arthur your presence might be useful as well."

"I can get the forms for you to inquire about his accounts," Bill said.

The room soon cleared out, leaving Sirius alone with his thoughts. Something about this scenario seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't for the life of him remember why. He thought it might have something to do with Lily.

* * *

David looked up as the young couple entered the living room. "Blimey, you two look different."

Harry's hair was a darker brown and it was now long enough that he had it pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing brown contacts. Ginny's hair was lighter, more of a strawberry blonde and much curlier than it had been. Her eyes were now blue.

"Good," Deena said as she followed the couple into the room. "That is what we hoped to accomplish."

David was still marvelling over the change a bit later in the evening as they dined outside enjoying the chicken he had cooked on the grill.

"I wasn't too sure when Harry suggested I use contacts to change my eye colour," Ginny explained, "but I like it. I've always wanted blue eyes. My dad and two of my brothers have such lovely blue eyes, I've always been a bit jealous."

"They look lovely," David said gallantly.

Harry shrugged. "I like your eyes better, but they are pretty."

She rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek.

David listened to the other three tell him about their trip to Darlington. Once they finished eating, David turned to the teens. "I've been meaning to ask you, do you two enjoy working out?"

"Yes," Harry answered immediately.

"Great." the older man led the two up to the workshop that he had converted to a home gym. "If you want to use this while you are here, please feel free."

"This is great," Harry said as he looked around the room. While not as extensive as the one Sirius had set up, it had an exercise bike, a treadmill, and a weight machine.

"Thank you," David replied proudly. "My brother is a personal trainer. He helped me get this set up."

"We helped my godfather set up a home gym this past Christmas," Harry said a bit wistfully. "I've mostly been running while I've been at school."

* * *

Remus paced nervously outside the conference room in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sirius had been in the conference room with Amelia, Scrimgeour, and Kingsley for most of the afternoon. They had chosen a day when Fudge was conveniently out of town, having left the day before for a holiday in France.

Since the Death Eater attack in Stirling, Fudge had come under increasing public fire. There were rumours that there might be a vote of no-confidence soon.

The door opened and Remus turned towards the door quickly. Sirius was leaving the room shaking hands with Scrimgeour. He grinned at his friend. "I'm free!"

Remus let out a shaky sigh of relief before he was pounced on by his very overexcited friend. "James had documented the change in Secret Keeper; it was in his papers in the Potter family vault. One of the Death Eaters captured at Stirling testified that Wormtail is alive and in Voldemort's service. They had me testify under Veritaserum and they believed me."

Amelia left the conference room. "Are you ready to face the press?"

"The press?" Remus questioned.

"I recommended that Sirius attend a press conference so we can get the word out that he has been cleared," Amelia explained.

"Are you ready for that?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded. "I want to get the word out as soon as possible. I want Harry to know that I am free."

The press conference was wild. Madam Bones and Scrimgeour made their statements clearing Sirius Black of any wrongdoing. They exposed Peter Pettigrew as the person who had both betrayed the Potters and killed the street full of Muggles. Sirius was brought out and posed for pictures with the Ministry officials. He answered a few questions, only refusing to explain how he had escaped from Azkaban. He once again reiterated his belief in his godson's innocence.

* * *

Harry looked out over Bassenthwaite Lake. He had never been sailing before, but he had instantly fallen in love with it. The Harpers were members of the Bassenthwaite Sailing Club and kept their boat there. He knew they had told him all about what type of boat it was, but he'd forgotten all of that.

He actually thought he was lucky to even remember his name when Ginny had come up on deck in her green two piece swimming costume. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. It was hard trying not to stare at her, but he was just managing it.

"Harry!" David called out. "Do you want to learn more about sailing?"

"Sure." Harry made his way to David and spent some time learning how to sail.

By early afternoon, they had stopped to eat. Deena had prepared a lunch and brought it on board in a cooler. She brought out the sandwiches, fruit, and cans of soda. The four of them sat on the deck and ate lunch. The Harpers were calling out greetings to other boaters.

"If you are interested," David remarked, "there is a youth squad. The two of you could learn to sail."

Harry perked up. "That sounds like fun." He looked over at Ginny who agreed.

After lunch, Harry and Ginny decided to go swimming. Harry was a bit nervous at first, his swimming skills weren't the best, but he was soon paddling around having fun. Ginny, he decided, was part mermaid – the pretty kind, not the real kind. She swam so effortlessly, he forgot to paddle once or twice while he was watching her.

Once they tired of swimming the pair pulled themselves back up onto the boat. Harry watched as Ginny dried off and pulled a book out of her bag. He hurriedly dried off and joined her.

Peering over her shoulder he wrinkled his nose. "_The Far Pavilions_. Aren't you done with that?"

Ginny shook her head and leaned her head against his shoulder. "No, I'm not. I don't know what you have against it. It's a great book."

He rolled his eyes. "It's really long and not that interesting."

She hit him on the shoulder before settling back against him. "I think it's romantic and I find India fascinating. My great-grandfather served in India...my mum's grandfather or great-grandfather, I can't remember exactly when. My grandmother used to tell us tales about India."

Harry wrapped his arm around her as she sat against him reading her book. He knew he should probably be reading as well, but he was enjoying the gentle motion of the water, the warmth of the sun, and the lovely feeling of Ginny leaning up against him. He lost track of time as he enjoyed the afternoon.

As they headed back towards the Sailing Club, Harry leaned over and said softly, "This is brilliant."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked as she kissed him softly.

"Spending time with you and my biggest worry being if we get sunburned," Harry replied. "This is so much better than what I usually do over the summer."

Ginny smiled up at him. "I'm glad. You deserve to have fun."

* * *

Ron lazily circled the paddock on his broom. This had to officially be the worst summer ever. He missed Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. After talking to his father, he did realize that Hermione had a point and he also had a right to be a little offended that she dismissed his feelings so easily, but that was not a reason to end a five year friendship. He had finally apologized to Hermione, but they had only exchanged a few letters. He knew from a long history of arguing with her it would take a while before they got back to normal.

Unfortunately, Hermione was now in Spain with her parents and wasn't expected back until the middle of August. With Fred and George spending most of their time in London starting up their shop, Ron was left on his own a lot.

"Ron!"

He turned to see his mother waving him down. He quickly landed and hurried into the house. He'd learned the hard way to come quickly when his mother called him. Two weeks ago, he'd ignored her and she had used a charm he had never heard of to stop his broom. She'd stunned him and dragged him into the house. It had been a humiliating experience and not one he wanted to repeat.

"What's going on, Mum?"

"We need to go to Headquarters," she replied.

He followed his mother and soon found himself being sent up to the drawing room on the first floor.

"Ron!"

"Neville, what are you doing here, mate?"

"I'm not really sure," Neville replied with a nervous laugh. "My grandmother brought me here and told me to wait up here. I've heard a bunch of people coming and going, but I haven't really talked to anyone."

"Your gran joined the Order of the Phoenix?" Ron questioned.

Neville nodded. "She told me about it last week. I guess my parents were part of the original Order of the Phoenix. Have your parents been in long?"

"Since the night of the third task," Ron explained. "My uncles were part of the original Order, but my parents weren't."

Neville looked around the rather dark room. "This place is really creepy."

Ron laughed. "I know. It's Sirius' family's place. His house elf really let this place go while he was in Azkaban."

"Former house elf," came a voice from the doorway.

"Hi, Sirius," Ron said. "What do you mean former house elf?"

"It turns out Kreacher was giving information to my lovely cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa. That's why the Death Eaters turned up at Bannockburn," Sirius explained. "When I confronted him, he admitted it and he died."

"He died?" Ron was shocked.

"House elf magic," Sirius said, "he betrayed his master so he had to die. I'm glad he's not here, but the house is worse than ever."

"You should get Dobby to help you," Ron said with a laugh. "I bet he'd love to help you out."

"Who's Dobby?"

"He's the Malfoy's old elf. Harry freed him after our second year. He works at Hogwarts now," Ron explained.

"I might have to check into that," Sirius said. "We're expecting more people soon; we might be sending some up here. I wanted to let you know."

After Sirius left, Neville told Ron about his summer so far. It hadn't been much better than Ron's. Soon the sound of people rushing up the stairs was heard. Ron and Neville hurried down to the dining room, where people were gathered.

"Susan!" Neville exclaimed. He hurried over to the girl who looked rather shaken up. "Are you okay?"

"Death Eaters attacked my aunt's house," she replied in a tone that said she still couldn't believe it.

"Oh, Merlin, is she okay?" Neville asked.

"I think so," Susan replied. She looked over at Ron. "Your brother, Bill, was amazing. He and Professor Lupin fought the Death Eaters. A woman, Hestia, I think, was injured and my aunt has a broken leg."

"That's awful," Ron said sincerely. He sat down next to her as his mother bustled in with a tea tray.

"Here you go, dear," she said as she handed Susan a cup of tea. "It has a weak dose of Calming Draught in there."

Susan nodded and mechanically began to drink. After a few minutes, Ron could tell she had calmed down. Neville explained to her about the Order of the Phoenix.

"Thank Merlin they came," she said. Looking over at Ron, she asked, "Is there any news about Harry and your sister?"

Ron shook his head. "Not since the postcard he sent Hermione."

"I heard about that," Susan said. "My aunt is looking into Umbridge's death. I told her Harry would never do that."

"Thanks," Ron said.

"Does Professor Dumbledore still think Harry killed her?" Neville asked.

"I don't know," Ron sighed. "I think he still thinks it's possible You-Know-Who is controlling Harry – maybe not all the time, but he can control him. I guess it's possible, but I just don't see Harry killing anyone and I know my sister wouldn't just sit by and watch."

"I can't believe no one knows where they are," Neville said. "If anyone can make that situation work, it would be Harry. He's pretty fearless."

Ron nodded. "He is."

* * *

Ginny gasped when she saw the zebra galloping across the field at the wildlife park. "That is so pretty."

Reaching out she linked hands with Harry. "This was a great idea."

He replied by dropping a quick kiss on her lips. "Good, I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"This is much better than where my brother works," Ginny said. "There are so many different kinds of animals."

"This is a lot cooler than the one we went to for Dudley's birthday," Harry remarked.

"Of course," she replied. "We are here for my birthday and I'm much cooler than Dudley."

"Very, very true," he laughed.

It was mid-way through August and the summer had flown by for Harry and Ginny. They had done a lot of studying, but they'd also had a lot of fun. They'd learned to sail, attended theatre in the park, hiked through the mountains, and generally enjoyed themselves. Harry thought it was the best summer he'd ever had – even better than the year they'd gone to the World Cup.

News of the deaths of the people at Bannockburn just days after they had been there had shaken both of them. It had been reported as a terrorist attack, but both Harry and Ginny thought it was a bit too coincidental. They suspected a Death Eater attack, but were unsure if it was related to them or not. Harry was afraid that somehow their postcard to Hermione had been intercepted. They had decided it was too dangerous to try to reach out to anyone else right now.

"Are we going to see the otter show?" Ginny asked consulting the brochure they'd received on arriving at the park.

"If you would like to," Harry said with a smile. He loved how enthusiastic Ginny was about everything. She wasn't embarrassed to say she wanted to do or see something as he sometimes was. He figured a lifetime of being told he didn't count made him a bit reticent to share his opinion.

After the otter show, they walked by the reptile house. Harry looked at her in concern. "Are you okay going in there?"

"Will you hold my hand?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied.

She leaned up and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Then I will be fine."

They entered the dark and cool reptile house. Ginny laughed at the frogs and lizards, but gripped his hand tightly as they passed the snakes. There was a large python that was lazily watching the people wandering by.

Looking around to make sure there was no one around, Harry said, "Hello."

The snake reared back immediately and looked at Harry. "Hello, ssspeaker."

"Are they treating you well here?" Harry asked, remembering how the snake in Little Whinging wanted to leave.

"Yesss, it is nice here. They have lotss of mice."

Harry laughed as they continued through the house. He noticed all of the snakes seemed to sit up and take notice of him. It made him slightly uncomfortable, but he smiled and said hi to most of them. Ginny held his hand tightly the whole time, but seemed more relaxed by the time they left.

"I guess snakes aren't so bad," Ginny remarked. "I never minded them before…you know, but I've been so scared of them for the last four years."

"That's understandable," Harry said.

"Thank you for being so understanding," Ginny said, exchanging another kiss with him. She smiled as she caught sight of the new pearl and onyx bracelet he'd given her for her birthday. "And for this, it's so pretty."

"I'm glad you like it," Harry said. "I found it in Keswick, but I wasn't sure if you'd like it."

"It's beautiful," Ginny replied with a smile.

"Good," Harry said. "I love my picture." Ginny had given him a framed picture of the two of them that Betty had taken at Loch Ness.

The rest of the summer passed in much the same manner. They studied and played and in general just had fun. But all too soon, the summer was drawing to a close. Ginny had decided she wanted to try to go to secondary school and see what happened. Plans were made to send Harry and Ginny to Sheffield at the end of August so they would be in place to start school in September.


	6. Chapter 6 Bonfire Night

**A/N: Thank you to my betas StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent for all of their help!  
**

* * *

_**August 25 – November 5, 1996**_

Harry critically examined his reflection in the mirror. For once, the summer had been good for him and his looks reflected that – he was tan and healthy looking. He had grown quite a bit and was now over six feet tall. Between eating regularly and working out, he'd bulked up a bit. His light brown hair was short now; he was wearing it clipped close to his head. At Ginny's urging, he'd gotten his ear pierced and was wearing a silver dragon earring. He'd changed his contact colour from hazel to a darker, more chocolaty brown, they were now more the shade of Ginny's eyes. He smiled, he didn't think anyone would connect him with scrawny, knobby kneed, and bespectacled Harry Potter.

"Looking good."

Harry turned to see his girlfriend watching him. Like him, she looked very different. Her hair was straightened and a light brown colour while her eyes were sky blue. She hadn't grown much taller, but she had certainly grown in other ways and Harry wholeheartedly approved of the changes.

"Thanks," Harry said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He gestured to the clothes he was trying on. "Are these okay?"

Looking over his outfit, Ginny nodded. "They look great – do they fit okay?"

He nodded a bit doubtfully. "They seem a little tight."

She rolled her eyes as she walked up to him and to his embarrassment tugged on the waistband. To increase his embarrassment, his body reacted to her closeness and her actions.

"I think they fit fine," Ginny whispered with a wicked smile. Stepping back from him, she added, "Deena said you should get at least five pair of black trousers plus a few pair of jeans for the weekends or in the evening."

"Okay," he mumbled in reply and hurried back to the dressing room. It took him a few minutes to calm down and change. While he was still embarrassed, the thought that she cared enough to go shopping with him and make sure he looked good was heart-warming.

It was the last week of August and Deena was taking the two of them shopping before they headed on to a new house in Sheffield. Harry knew Ginny didn't want to leave the Harpers', but they had agreed it was better to keep changing their location. Besides, the Harpers had just discovered that Deena was pregnant after many years of trying and the teens didn't want to add any stress to the situation.

Harry picked out the clothes that Deena and Ginny had instructed him to and looked around for his girlfriend. He didn't see her right away, but he found Deena. She looked up as he approached with a pile of clothes in his arms.

"Did you find what you needed?" she asked with a smile.

He nodded. "Are you sure we need all of that?"

"Harry, you've grown a good half a foot this summer," Deena reminded him. "Of course you'll need new clothes. I was told you will have a strict dress code at your new school."

He shrugged. The white shirt and black pants were much better than the grey he would have had to wear at Stonewall and much better than the Smelting's uniforms.

She took the pile of clothes from him and started sorting through it. "You'll need some new pyjamas and some new underpants."

Harry blushed, but nodded and headed into the appropriate section. He picked up the required items and headed back to where Deena was waiting. She was watching Ginny who was trying on a black dress. He tried not to stare, but she looked amazing. The dress was rather short, it fell several inches above her knees, and it was rather form fitting. It highlighted her curves wonderfully.

"Wow," he said softly.

Ginny looked up and met his eyes in the mirror. She blushed at the admiration she read in his eyes.

"You look beautiful," he said sincerely.

"Thank you," she replied. "Deena thought I should get a nice dress."

He nodded dumbly, "I agree."

She smiled up at him shyly and went back into the changing room. Harry seemed to gather himself and blushed as he looked at Deena's knowing smile.

Ginny re-joined them shortly and added her clothes to the stack. Harry reached out for her hand as they followed Deena up to the counter. He winced when he saw the total.

"Are you sure you don't need any money from us?" Harry asked as he grabbed the bags.

"I'm certain," Deena replied firmly. "We have had a wonderful time with the two of you this summer."

Harry nodded a bit uncertainly.

Deena glanced at her watch.

"We have time for lunch before your transportation comes to pick you up. Do you want to get something?"

The three of them enjoyed lunch and the teens walked Deena back to her car.

"Are you sure you will be okay?" Deena fussed over them.

Harry smiled. "We will be fine, Deena. Our ride should be in here in less than an hour."

"You know where you are supposed to meet them?" Deena asked anxiously.

"Yes, Deena," Ginny replied. She handed the older woman a bag. "This is from me and Harry."

Deena opened the bag and smiled at the baby blanket and rattle she found inside. "Thank you. You didn't need to get anything for us."

"We wanted to," Harry said with a smile.

"After all, we won't get to meet the new baby Harper, so we wanted to get something," Ginny said as she hugged the other woman.

Deena returned the hug and hugged Harry as well. Opening the boot, she put the bag inside. Harry reached in and grabbed both his and Ginny's bags. Closing the boot, Deena looked around the car park. "It's awfully cold all of a sudden."

Nodding, Harry looked down the street. Something odd was going on, he couldn't tell exactly what it was, but he felt uneasy. He looked over at Ginny and could tell that she seemed to feel it as well.

Suddenly a wave of bone chilling cold washed over him and along with that came a feeling of unending dread. He gasped as he spotted a group of black hooded Dementors drifting down the street.

"Gin." He could tell she'd seen them as well.

Deena looked around, "What's wrong?"

"Get in your car," Harry said in a commanding voice.

Shaking, she did as he said.

Harry looked over at Ginny. "What should we do?"

"We need to help," Ginny said a bit desperately. "Deena…she can't get kissed just because we don't want to get caught. We will be leaving soon anyhow, maybe we won't get caught."

Harry nodded; he really didn't need that much convincing. Dropping their bags next to the car, he reached into his pocket were he'd been carrying his wand. Ginny pulled hers out of her purse.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" the teens yelled.

Harry watched in satisfaction as Prongs ran down the street, scattering the Dementors. Ginny's horse ran the other direction scattering the Dementors. Soon the Dementors had disappeared, thankfully not leaving too much destruction in their wake.

Ginny stayed with Deena while Harry hurried into a shop across the street. He bought three large chocolate bars and returned to the car. To his relief, he didn't see any sign of wizards showing up.

"Here," he said handing Deena the chocolate bar. "Eat this - it will make you feel better."

He watched her and was happy to see her looking less pale. "Better?"

She nodded, "What was that?"

"Dementors," Harry explained. "They are awful creatures. They drain happiness and good feelings away. Supposedly they were under Ministry control, but I think they probably joined the….Dark Forces I guess you would say."

To Harry's relief, she was looking better. "Are you going to be okay to drive?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine."

With one last hug and kiss for the young couple, Deena drove off.

"Harry!" Ginny whispered urgently. She gestured to a pair of poorly dressed wizards who were walking down the street. They were talking to several people who were just starting to recover from the Dementors' effects. They were handing out chocolate and seemed to be asking a lot of questions.

"I see them," Harry said as he picked up their shopping bags and they casually returned to the mall. He could feel his heart racing, but he tried to maintain a casual attitude. Ginny squeezed his hand and he felt himself relaxing a bit.

They headed to the centre of the mall and waited near the newsagent. Soon Ginny squeezed his hand. "I think that might be our ride."

A young woman, whom Ginny thought was probably Percy's age, approached them. "Are you friends of Lily?"

The two nodded and accompanied her out to the car park. There was a scary moment as they walked past the two wizards who had by this time made it to the car park, but to Harry's relief they didn't pay any attention to them.

* * *

It only took just under two hours to arrive at their new destination. At the Sheaf Street Station in Sheffield, the teens changed cars again. This time they entered the car of Mrs Kristine Griffin.

Harry's first thought on seeing Mrs Griffin was she reminded him of Mrs Weasley. They didn't really look alike other than the fact that they were both slightly plump, motherly figures. It was more the welcoming and loving attitude they exuded.

"Welcome, dears. I'm so excited to have the two of you in our house," Mrs Griffin said as she skilfully pulled her car out into traffic. "My daughters have moved out and it is just me and my husband and our son left at home. My son, Jacob, is a bit older than you. He's seventeen and he will be in his last year of school this year. I've enrolled the two of you at Aston Academy under the names of James Evans and Penny Preston. Is that correct?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance. They had agreed upon the new names with Deena and David. "Yes, ma'am," Harry said politely.

"Excellent," Mrs Griffin answered. "In case you are curious, I am a witch. My father was a Muggle and my husband and children are all Muggles. I've been living as a Muggle for so long that it almost seems like a dream at times."

"Why do you live as a Muggle?" Ginny asked curiously.

Mrs Griffin smiled. "I was raised in a mixed household so I was used to the Muggle world. I've never been very strong magically and once I finished at Hogwarts, I realized it would be very difficult for me to live as a witch. I moved to London and it was wonderful. While I was there, I met my husband, Richard, and after we married we moved here to Sheffield.

"I stayed at home when my children were young. I love being a mum and loved having them at home. When I realized that none of them were magical, it reaffirmed my resolve to live in the Muggle world. I opened a small shop in town and I sell homemade soaps and candles."

Harry was rather astonished, he'd never considered leaving the magical world. When he'd discovered he was a wizard, it just explained so much about him and he dove head first into the new world. Even now that he knew the Wizarding world wasn't as perfect as he thought when he first entered it, he didn't think he'd want to leave it. The look on Ginny's face said she agreed with him.

Looking in her rear view mirror, Mrs Griffin laughed, "I can see that thought seems totally foreign to you."

"Yes, ma'am," Ginny replied honestly.

"I can understand, many of my friends thought I was crazy, but I haven't regretted it at all."

"Does your family know about magic?" Harry asked.

"They do," Mrs Griffin replied. "They know of its existence, but they've never really seen me use it. I haven't used my wand in more than fifteen years. They've seen my mother use it occasionally."

Mrs Griffin guided her car into an upscale development.

"The houses all look the same," Ginny whispered.

"My relatives' neighbourhood is like this," Harry replied. "The houses aren't exactly the same. They are all brick two story houses, but look, some have two car garages and some have bay windows."

Ginny studied the houses. "Okay, I can see some differences, but not a lot. How do you tell the difference?"

Harry showed her how to look for the house numbers. Within a few moments, Mrs Griffin pulled into the driveway of one of the beautiful, brick homes.

"Let me show you your rooms," Mrs Griffin said as she led them upstairs. She turned left at the top of the stairs and opened the first door. "This is my daughter Melissa's room. I thought you could stay here, Penny."

Ginny nodded, a bit jolted by the use of her alias. Mrs Griffin led them through the adjoining bathroom to the bedroom on the other side. "This is my daughter, Clara's room. Will this be alright for you, James?"

"Jimmy," Harry said. He couldn't bring himself to completely go by his father's name. "Yes, ma'am that will be fine."

"Wonderful," Mrs Griffin said with a smile. She watched as the two put their bags down. Leading them back out into the hallway, she showed them her room, the closet, her son's room and then she led them into the last room. "This is set up to use as a study. Jake usually uses it, but I'm sure you will be welcome to use it as well."

She smiled at the two of them, "Get freshened up and come on downstairs. Jake and Richard should be home soon."

* * *

Tonks groaned as she looked at the mountain of paperwork on her desk. There had been a string of Dementor attacks over the past few weeks and it had stretched the Auror department to the limits.

Pulling the nearest file close to her, she started to complete the paperwork. She had to describe the Dementor attack, any deaths or any instances of a person being kissed, and she had to summarize the witness statements. If any of the bystanders had produced a Patronus, that was documented as well. It was tedious, but necessary.

She was making quite a bit of headway when a knock on her open door made her look up. Her friend, Nigel, was standing there in the doorway with a file in his hand.

"Wotcher! Catching up on your paperwork?" Tonks asked sympathetically.

Nigel nodded. "I investigated a Dementor attack out in Lancashire yesterday. We were lucky, no one was kissed. There were two Patronuses – a stag and a horse."

Tonks's eyes widened. She knew Harry's Patronus was a stag, she wasn't sure if Ginny could produce a Patronus or not.

"I know," Nigel said. "Potter's Patronus is supposed to be a stag. We didn't find out who cast the charms. They were cast from a car park near a large shopping mall. The curious thing is I checked with Mafalda in the Improper Use of Magic Office. Two underage kids did cast the Patronus charm in Preston at that time. However, the monitors didn't recognize who the kids were. It came back to unknown witch and unknown wizard." He fell silent as he watched his friend, "Do you want to follow up on this?"

"Thank you, Nigel."

Tonks hurried down to the Atrium without a backwards glance at her desk. A few minutes later, she was stepping out of the Floo at Grimmauld Place. The Order's Headquarters was quite crowded these days. Amelia Bones and Hestia Jones were still recovering from the Death Eater attacks so they were still staying at Grimmauld Place. Susan was staying with her aunt and Ron and Neville were frequent visitors.

As Molly had been spending quite a bit of time at Grimmauld Place taking care of the wounded, she'd been happy to have Ron spending more time there. Sirius had followed through on Ron's suggestion and hired Dobby away from Hogwarts. Dobby was thrilled to work for Harry Potter's godfather and had worked tirelessly to clean the old Black House.

Nodding to Dobby, Tonks hurried up to the drawing room which the teens had taken over as their room. Neville, Ron, and Susan were playing a rousing game of Exploding Snap when she entered the room. "Wotcher!"

The three looked up. "Hello, Tonks," Ron called out. He was the most comfortable with the adult members of the Order. Neville and Susan greeted her a bit more quietly.

Tonks walked up to the table. "Ron, can Ginny produce a Patronus?"

Ron looked at her in confusion for a moment. "Umm, yeah, I think so." He looked over at the other two. "Do you remember?"

"I think it was a horse," Susan said. "I remember being a bit jealous that someone younger than me was able to produce a corporeal Patronus while I was not."

"Damn," Tonks swore. She fixed Ron with a fierce look. "Do you want to go on a mission with me? It won't be dangerous, but I doubt your mother would approve."

"Of course," Ron replied immediately. He looked at his friends. Before he could say anything, Neville said, "Don't worry, mate. We'll cover for you."

"Thanks!" Ron said as he followed Tonks down the stairs to the ground floor.

The entryway was clean and shining. Probably the biggest difference was the absence of Mrs Black's portrait. Dobby had made short work of the permanent sticking charms holding the portrait in place. In its place, Dobby had enlarged a picture of baby Harry playing with Padfoot. Instead of hearing the screaming of a deranged woman, those passing through the entryway were more likely to hear a high pitched giggle or the barking of a dog.

If the drawing room had become the place for the teens, the library had become Sirius' study. He and his informal group of advisers had taken to meeting often in the library. Tonks knocked on the door and found Bill and Sirius inside. Hedwig was dozing on a perch near Sirius' desk.

Closing the door behind her and Ron, Tonks quickly shared with them Nigel's news. Sirius's eyes lit up. "What are we waiting for?"

"I'm coming too. My mum will be more likely to accept his absence if I'm with him," Bill said, gesturing to his younger brother.

Tonks pulled a long piece of rope from her robes and set it on the table. She then pulled her robes off revealing rather tight cargo trousers and a t-shirt with some rather strategic rips. None of the men were wearing robes, so none of them needed to change. Tonks bit back a smile as Ron turned away from her, blushing. She shrugged inwardly as the other two didn't even blink. It would have been nice if Bill had at least looked her over, but she didn't have time to worry about that now.

"Let's go," she said, holding out the rope. "This is a Portkey. We should arrive in a secluded car park."

Tonks looked around as they arrived. To her relief, they had indeed arrived in a secluded area and had not attracted any attention. "This way." Tonks led them to the street. "Nigel reported that the Dementors came down from that direction. The two Patronuses came from right around here. We surmise they must have been either in the mall or in the car park. They saved many people – it was rather crowded yesterday."

"Can Harry drive?" Bill asked.

"Not that I know of," Ron replied.

"He's too young," Tonks said. "At least he's not old enough to legally get a driver's license. He would need to be seventeen."

"Let's head inside," Tonks said. "Let me do the talking."

* * *

The three men obediently followed her into the mall. Ron looked around in amazement; he'd never seen such a place. The tips of his ears turned red as he caught sight of a group of Muggle girls. They were showing a lot more skin than he was used to seeing. He knew he'd never seen a witch with a skirt that short.

Blushing, he caught up with the other men. He wished he could be a bit more like Sirius and Bill. They didn't seem as astonished by everything as he did and they were receiving a fair amount of admiring looks from the groups of girls.

He looked at the shops they were passing. He'd never seen so many together in one spot. It reminded him a bit of Diagon Alley all gathered indoors. They passed many clothing stores, bookstores, jewellery stores and stores he had no idea what they sold.

Tonks seemed to know where she was going; she led them down a side corridor to an unpretentious door simply marked 'Security.' After knocking on the door, the four of them entered and found two middle aged men watching rows of boxes. It took Ron a moment to realize the boxes showed people in the mall.

He watched in surprise at Tonks approached the men. He'd always liked Tonks, she was nice and fun, but before today he'd never really seen her as an authority figure. That changed as he watched her show the men her badge and proceed to question them.

"Are they runaways?" the more talkative of the two men asked as he queued up what he called 'the footage' in one of the boxes.

"No," Tonks replied easily. "We believe they may have witnessed a crime, but we can't seem to find them."

The man nodded. "This is our footage from two p.m. yesterday afternoon. You say you think they entered from the car park?"

"Yes," Tonks said. "They were seen in the car park."

A large box in front of them was suddenly filled with what looked like a rather grainy moving picture. It showed the doors through which they had entered. After a moment, Sirius called out, "There they are."

The picture froze. Ron peered at it uncertainly, was that really his best friend and sister? The couple in the picture were carrying several bags and had some sort of bags over their shoulders. The boy didn't look much like his best friend. He was tall and fit and he wasn't wearing glasses. His hair was lighter than Harry's hair and much shorter than Harry wore his.

A discrete wave of Tonks' wand enlarged the picture. The Muggles didn't seem to notice. The boy was smiling down at the girl who was looking up so they had a better view of her. She was wearing white shorts and a brightly coloured top. Her hair was blonde and came to her shoulders. After a moment he realized that was his sister. She looked so much more grown up than he remembered her looking. When had she filled out like that?

Sirius pointed to something around her neck. "There, she's wearing the necklace Harry gave her for Christmas."

"What?" It slipped out before Ron realized it.

"The lion necklace," Sirius said, gesturing to the screen.

Ron squinted and realized he could see the necklace. He frowned slightly, he didn't know Harry had given that to her. For some reason he thought that one of his older brothers had given the necklace to her.

Tonks looked over at Bill. "It seems Harry is taking a page out of your book – he got his ear pierced."

Sirius and Bill seemed to find that rather amusing, while Ron was left to wonder what was going on with his best friend. He had mentioned once that he thought Bill was cool, but he'd never said he wanted to get his ear pierced.

The picture started moving again and they watched as the couple walked through the mall. Ron watched as they waited near some sort of shop. They were talking and laughing together. Ginny even leaned up and kissed him at one point. It was strange watching his sister and best friend together like that. As he watched them, he realized that regardless of what else was going on, they looked very happy together.

That actually made him feel much better. When he'd first heard the rumours that Harry and Ginny were romantically involved, he wasn't sure how to feel about it. On the one hand it was his sister and he really didn't understand why someone would be interested in her. Plus, wasn't she too young? He'd never had a girlfriend and he was a year older than her. Wouldn't Harry have said something to him if he was interested in Ginny?

Sirius was the only one who didn't seem surprised that the two of them were dating. He claimed he'd seen them eyeing each other at Christmas. As he watched them, Ron decided that he was alright with Harry and Ginny dating. Not that he really had any say in the matter, but he was glad they at least had each other.

After a few moments a young woman approached the young couple and the three of them walked out of the same doors through which they'd entered.

Tonks frowned. "Do you have any cameras in the car park?"

"No," the security officer replied. "They are scheduled to be installed sometime in the next year, but we don't have any there right now."

"Can you back the tape up to that morning?" Sirius asked.

The others looked at him in surprise.

"Harry was carrying bags from shops in this mall," Sirius explained.

It took a while, but they found Harry and Ginny entering the mall without any bags accompanied by a pretty blonde woman. They watched as first Harry and then Ginny had their hair cut and the colour changed. Once their looks were changed, they started shopping. While the cameras couldn't follow them through the whole mall, they were able to see enough to realize what they were doing.

"They are buying a lot of clothes," Bill remarked.

"Probably back to school shopping," the security guard put in. "The black pants and white shirts, looks like school uniforms."

"They seem quite fond of the woman," Bill said as they watched the unknown blonde gently tease Harry.

"Maybe she's the woman they've been staying with," Sirius said.

"Can I get a print out of her picture?" Tonks asked.

They left the mall almost a half an hour later with pictures of the blonde woman as well as the couple. To Ron, it didn't seem like they'd learned much, but Tonks seemed energized.

"I'm going to make copies of the pictures," Tonks said. "I will get a list of local schools, we can see if they've been enrolled in any of them."

They returned to Grimmauld Place a bit more hopeful than they'd left.

* * *

Harry woke a bit disoriented. He glanced at his clock; it was 2:30 in the morning. As he started to close his eyes, he heard a moaning noise. His eyes flew to the bathroom door; it was open so he hurried through to Ginny's room. They were right across from the master bedroom and he didn't know how the Griffins would react to being woken by Ginny's nightmare. He knew how his uncle would react and he didn't want anyone yelling at Ginny – or worse.

Flipping on the bathroom light, he could see her curled up on her side in the bed.

"Ginny," he said as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

She moaned, "Not Harry…no, Tom."

"Ginny," Harry put his hand on her arm. "Wake up, Ginny. I'm here. Tom's not here."

Her eyes opened suddenly and looked around a bit wildly. When she saw him, she sat up. He wrapped his arms around her and she threw her arms around his neck. To his dismay, she started crying softly.

Dropping kisses on top of her head, he whispered reassurances to her. He lost track of time as he held her. As she calmed down, she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. With a smile, Harry wiped her tears with the sleeve of his pyjamas.

"Are you better?"

She nodded a bit shyly. "Thank you." She lay her head down on his shoulder. "I was in the Chamber. I don't know why I had that nightmare, I haven't had one all summer."

Harry shifted and leaned back against her headboard. She curled up next to him with her head still on his shoulder. "Maybe the Dementors brought up bad memories," he suggested.

"Could be," she agreed.

"Is that what you usually feel with Dementors?" he asked gently.

She nodded before pulling back and looking at him. "What do you hear?"

"I hear my mum before Tom kills her," he admitted. "Sometimes I'll hear my dad too. He tried to hold Tom off, but of course Tom just killed him and then…he gave my mum the chance to step out of the way."

"What?" Ginny looked up at him in confusion. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "He offered her a chance to step aside. Obviously she didn't take it, I don't know if he really expected her to step aside or if he was just tormenting her."

"That's awful," Ginny said sympathetically.

He shrugged, "The worst part is those are really the only memories I have of them, so when I was learning to cast the Patronus sometimes I didn't really want to because I wanted to hear their voices."

He blushed as he admitted that. While he'd told Ron and Hermione what he heard, he'd never mentioned how much he liked hearing his mum's voice. He looked down at Ginny and to his relief he didn't see any disappointment or disgust in her eyes. He only saw support and something else he was a bit hesitant to name, but he liked it.

"That's only natural," she said softly.

The two of the lay quietly for a while, Harry actually thought Ginny had fallen asleep. He was surprised when she said, "How do you like it here?"

"It's okay," Harry said. "I mean, it's certainly better than being at my relatives', but it's not as nice as staying with David and Deena, or the Campbells'."

Ginny nodded into his chest. "I know. I just feel like I am expected to know everything already. What if I don't?"

"If you don't, I'll help you," Harry replied simply. "We're in this together."

Ginny smiled and made herself a bit more comfortable, pulling Harry down so his head was now on her pillow. Laying her head back down, she closed her eyes. A moment later she felt the sheets being pulled up over her and Harry pulled her just a bit closer. Together they fell back to sleep.

* * *

Hermione felt a little lost as she made her way to the Gryffindor table. The trip to Hogwarts had been a bit different this year; she had keenly felt the absence of Harry and Ginny. After the prefects' meeting she had joined Ron and Neville in a compartment with Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, and Justin Finch-Fletchley. She was a bit disconcerted to realize that Neville and Susan knew more about what was going on than she did.

The conversation in the compartment centred around Harry and Ginny's disappearance. Hermione was surprised to hear about the second sighting of her friends. It hurt that no one had thought to let her know.

"Hermione, come join us," Parvati Patil called out.

Hermione grimaced slightly, but went to join her two roommates. She had spent some time with the Patils' over the summer. While she'd spent most of her time with Padma, she'd been surprised at how well she and Parvati got along outside of Hogwarts. "Hello," Hermione said.

"So it is true that Ron and Susan are dating?" Lavender asked eagerly.

"What?" asked Hermione, thunderstruck by the idea.

"Lavender," Parvati said sternly. She turned to Hermione, "I'm sorry, she doesn't think before she talks sometimes."

"Oh, come on," Lavender said. "Everyone was talking about it on the train. Well, that and Harry and Ginny. Is it true they eloped?"

"Lavender!" Parvati reprimanded, looking at her best friend in horror. "What is wrong with you?"

"Were people really saying that?" Hermione looked over at Parvati.

Looking a bit chagrined, Parvati nodded. "There were a lot of crazy stories floating around. Some people were talking about Ron and Susan, but most of the stories were about Harry and Ginny. I heard he killed her and ran off to America, some say they eloped, others say they lost all of their magic and are going to Muggle schools. It's crazy."

"I don't really know what's going on," Hermione said to Lavender as evenly as possible. She realized with a start that was entirely true. For once, she hardly listened to Professor Dumbledore's speech. She mechanically clapped for all of the new Gryffindors.

After dinner she managed to shake off her dreary thoughts and helped lead the new students up to Gryffindor tower. She showed the first year girls to their dorm and decided to head down to the common room. She found Ron and Neville sitting by the fireplace.

"Hello, can I join you?"

"Of course," Ron replied. "Why would you even ask?"

Hermione shrugged as she sank down onto the sofa. "I don't know. I feel so out of the loop."

"Sorry," Ron flushed. "I'm so bad at writing. I couldn't remember when you were getting back from your trip."

Hermione accepted this excuse. "So you actually saw them on the security tape?"

Ron nodded eagerly. "I did. They look really different. If Sirius hadn't said something, I don't know that I would have recognized them."

"They changed their look again?" Hermione asked. "They must have someone helping them."

"Tonks seemed pretty hopeful that she might be able to find them," Ron said.

"How are your parents doing?" Hermione asked.

Ron looked a bit uncertain. "Okay, I think. Mum is helping out at Headquarters a lot, especially since Madam Bones and Hestia were hurt. She and Sirius…I don't know, they've never really gotten along well, but they don't really talk at all now. They had a huge fight at the beginning of the summer. Mum blamed Harry for what happened and Sirius got so mad at her. I really thought he was going to hex her, but he didn't. He just went up to his study."

"Does he blame Ginny?" Hermione asked cautiously. She didn't want to upset Ron again, but she did want to know what was going on.

Ron shook his head. "No, he's never blamed Ginny. He blames Umbridge and Dumbledore and of course he thinks You-Know-Who is behind all of the killings."

Hermione nodded, she'd read several of Sirius' interviews. "He must be thrilled to be finally free."

"He is," Ron agreed. "He's looking for a new house. He hates his family home and he wants some place he can live with Harry."

"Harry would love that," Hermione said with a smile. Her smile faded slightly as she realized how long it had been since she'd seen her friend. "Does Professor Dumbledore still think Harry killed those people?"

Ron shrugged, "I'm not sure."

"I think he still thinks it's a possibility," Neville said. "I know Sirius is still upset with him."

* * *

"I am so bad with history," May confessed looking over at Ginny. The two girls were in the library working on their history project.

May Caddock was one of the first people Ginny had met at Aston Academy. She was rather quiet and shy, but had volunteered to show Ginny around. They had been friends ever since. Ginny found that her tutoring over the summer had paid off. While maths and science still weren't her best subjects, she was managing decent grades. The hardest thing for her was to remember to respond to Penny and to call Harry, Jimmy.

Ginny grinned at her friend, "I'm usually bad at history as well, but this summer I stayed with some relatives in Scotland, so I know this stuff."

With a sigh, May looked at her watch. "Are you going to watch the football try-outs?"

"I was planning to," Ginny replied. "My boyfriend is trying out for the team. Do you want to come with me?"

"Okay," May said with a smile. The two girls got back to work on their project. Once the last bell rang, the two girls headed out to the football field and joined a rather sizeable crowd watching the boys try out.

Ginny spotted Harry right away. He was talking to his friend, Mark, and they were warming up together. Ginny had been a little surprised when Harry mentioned he wanted to try out for the team, but she knew he liked the competition and had really missed playing Quidditch last year.

As the boys started running around the track, May sighed a bit. "Mark is so cute."

Ginny giggled. "He is kind of cute. I think Jimmy's much better looking, but I'm a bit biased."

May laughed with her friend. "Jimmy's cute too." As they watched the try outs progress, May shook her head. "There's Nita flitting around down there."

Ginny made a face. Nita was a year older than she and had not made any attempt to disguise her interest in Harry. The Indian girl was beautiful and popular and had made numerous passes at Harry. For his part, Harry was rather embarrassed by the attention. He had tried being polite at first, but now he was just ignoring her. Complicating the situation was the fact that Nita's best friend, Paige, was dating Harry's friend Mark, so he was spending more time around her than he wanted.

Neither Nita nor Paige were very nice to Ginny. In fact, Ginny was fairly certain they were the source of the rumours floating around about her. The latest rumours intimated the only reason Harry was dating Ginny was she was sleeping with him. Harry had been furious when he'd heard the rumours, but Ginny found that she wasn't that upset. Rumours were much easier to tolerate with Harry by her side.

"I heard that Jimmy's never played football before, is that true?" May asked.

"He's never played on an official team," Ginny replied. "He's played with friends, but our last school was really small and didn't have any teams."

May nodded satisfied with Ginny's answer. The story they were using to explain their presence was that Harry's guardian had recently passed away and the Griffins had agreed to take him in. Thanks to some misdirection, and Ginny suspected a bit of charm work, no one realized that Harry and Ginny were both staying with the Griffins.

"How long have you two known each other?" May asked curiously.

Buttoning her jacket up against the later afternoon autumn wind, Ginny replied, "Six years now. We met at school, he was starting his first year and I was dropping off one of my older brothers. We didn't become friends for a while. I had the biggest crush on him and would always blush or stutter."

"Really?" May laughed. "You are so confident, I can't imagine that."

"Well, I may be confident now, but I wasn't six years ago." Ginny laughed. "He was so cute and he would smile and all thoughts would leave my brain."

"So what happened?" May asked.

"A friend gave me some good advice," Ginny replied. "She said I needed to date some other guys and gain my confidence. If it was meant to be, it would be. She was right. Jimmy and I started talking more last summer and became really good friends after last Christmas. In June, he kissed me for the first time."

"I don't know if I could do that," May said. She sighed. "I mean I don't exactly have guys knocking down my door asking me out."

Ginny smiled gently at her new friend. May was a bit pudgy and as a result she was rather shy. "You just need some self-confidence. We'll work on that."

Together the two girls watched the boys try-out. In the end, Mark, who had been on the team before, easily made the team again as centre forward and Harry made the team as a midfielder.

* * *

Sirius groaned inwardly when he heard Molly's voice in the kitchen. The two of them were not getting along and he really was tired of having to share his house with a bunch of people. The only one he really wanted to share his house with was Harry.

He picked up the file Tonks had copied for him. It contained the reports of the Aurors who had been stationed in Hogsmeade the day Harry and Ginny had disappeared. Most of the shop owners and clerks had been interviewed, but there were a few curious exceptions. He didn't find any statement from Madam Rosmerta, which he thought was a bit odd.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was mid-afternoon. Rosmerta should be at her pub. Standing, he left the house and Apparated to Hogsmeade. A wave of nostalgia swept over him as he walked down High Street. The happiest years of his life had been spent in Hogsmeade with his best mate, his brother in many ways. He missed James more than ever.

He headed over to the Shrieking Shack and with a few charms he had the door open. As he walked around the dusty old shack, he smiled a bit wistfully. Reaching up he touched a gouge high up on the wall. It had been made by James in his Animagus form. He'd tossed his head and his antlers took a chunk out of the wall. They'd teased him about that for a long time.

In the upstairs room, he found it hadn't been touched since he'd last been here four months ago. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. He could only imagine the fear and desperation Harry and Ginny had felt all those months ago. Walking over to the window he looked out over the town. If he were trying to escape, which way would he go?

Leaving the old house, he headed towards the Hogsmeade Station. He recalled from that morning that the station had been swarming with Aurors. Looking at the file, he noted that the train hadn't run that day at all. Turning, he headed down the street.

He entered the Three Broomsticks and stopped just inside as he was assailed by memories. The pub hadn't changed much from his school days and he could almost imagine his friends taking over the large table on the far side of the room.

Shaking off the memories, he headed over to the bar.

"Sirius Black."

Turning, he saw Rosmerta standing behind him. "Rosie!"

He hugged the older woman. "Damn, you're looking good. I don't think you've changed since I was in school."

She laughed and headed behind the bar. He took a seat on one of the barstools. "What can I get you?"

"Just a butterbeer," Sirius replied easily.

"A butterbeer?" Rosmerta questioned. She pulled one from the cold cupboard beneath the bar and handed it to Sirius. "That's not exactly what I expected you to be drinking."

He shrugged as he took a sip of the drink. "Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Were you here the night Umbridge was killed?"

Rosmerta nodded. "I was. We weren't overly busy that day. I remember when I closed up I saw Lucius Malfoy heading up towards the school. I knew I didn't want to be anywhere he was, so I just headed up to my flat."

"Lucius Malfoy was here that night?" Sirius almost dropped his bottle in astonishment.

She nodded as she started wiping down the bar. "I don't know what he was doing. I told that Auror…what was his name…I can't remember, but anyhow I saw both Lucius Malfoy and McNair in town that afternoon. I guess they were looking for that poor couple. Later that evening, I saw Malfoy again. This time he was heading up towards the castle."

"You didn't see Harry or Ginny?"

She shook her head. "No. I wish I had, but I didn't see them. Harry is such a sweet boy; I can't see him doing any of this."

"Me neither," Sirius said with a bit of a smile. "I'm trying to figure out how they may have gotten out of Hogsmeade."

Rosmerta eyed him for a moment. "Why?"

"I want to find Harry," he said simply. "I know Harry didn't do any of this and I hate to think of those two kids out there. I promised James I would look after him. I haven't done such a good job of it so far, but I have my freedom now and I will fulfil that promise."

She appeared to be thinking something over. Sirius held his breath. He didn't want to take the chance of saying anything that might influence her not to tell him what she knew. It was obvious to him she knew something.

"Go over to Gladrags," she finally said. "I'm not going to say any more, but go over to Gladrags."

"Okay," he replied. "Thank you."

After paying for his butterbeer, he hurried down to Gladrags. He paused before entering the store, giving himself a moment to gather his thoughts. He didn't want to go bursting into the store and ruin whatever chance he had of finding information. Mentally he reviewed the information from the file. He knew that one of the clerks had left fairly early, but her car had been searched.

Entering the store, he saw the clerk was helping another customer. He wandered around the shop absently looking at the clothes. A bell rang indicating the door opened and to Sirius' relief it was the other customer leaving.

He walked up and smiled at the witch behind the counter. Whatever he'd planned on saying left his head as he recognized her. "You were a friend of Lily's."

The witch looked a bit taken aback, but nodded. "Yes, I was."

"I'm Sirius Black," he said holding out his hand.

She smiled as she shook his hand. "Sarah Anderson."

Suddenly Sirius put together all of the little things that had bothered him – the charms that seemed familiar, the ease with which Harry and Ginny escaped from Hogsmeade, and the nagging feeling he should know what happened. "Merlin, you helped them escape, didn't you? That group…the one that helped Muggle-borns get out of the country. You're a part of it aren't you?"

Looking around the shop, Sarah quickly waved her wand at the door to lock it. "You are his godfather, aren't you?"

Sirius nodded. "Do you know where they are? Are they okay?"

She looked over him thoughtfully, as though she was judging him. "I read your interviews. You seem to be very concerned about him."

"I am," Sirius said. "Look, I know Dumbledore thinks Harry is involved in this mess somehow, but trust me – Harry did not hurt anyone. He's a good kid and I am so worried about him."

Sarah beckoned him to follow her. She led him to a back room. "I did help them. They came in here the morning after the murders looking scared to death. They didn't even know they were being accused of murder. I recognized him right away – he has Lily's eyes."

Sirius nodded and Sarah continued. "The group that you remember, we restarted it last year. I'd read Harry's interview in the paper and I knew that we would be needed again. I never dreamed he would be one of our clients. We call ourselves Friends of Lily."

"So where is he?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," Sarah replied sadly. "I took them up to Inverness and helped them to change their look. The way the program works is no one knows where anyone is past one switch. They should have left Inverness at the end of June or beginning of July. We arrange for one driver to pick them up and drop them in a public place. Another driver picks them up and drops them at another public place. They are picked up by their new family.

"Each family has a selected list of drivers and other families they can move the client on to. We try to move clients every couple months or sometimes they are sent out of the country. I know Harry and Ginny have been moved, but I don't know where they are."

"Damn!" Sirius swore. "I'm sorry. Thank you so much for helping them. I'm very glad they are safe, I just want to find them."

"I know and that is the only reason I told you everything," Sarah said. "Lily and I kept in touch and I knew you were Harry's godfather. One of the last letters she sent me, she told me how wonderful you were with him and how she was glad they had chosen you as his godfather."

Sirius blinked back the suspicious wetness that had suddenly gathered in his eyes. "Thank you." He pulled a card from his wallet. "This is a secure phone number. Ginny's brother, Bill, helped set it up through Gringotts. If you hear from them, please, give them this number. They can leave a message and I will get it a few minutes later."

Sarah took the card and pocketed it. "I will pass it on. I promise."

"Thank you," Sirius said sincerely. He reached into his wallet again and this time pulled out a fistful of coins. "Please, take this. I imagine it is expensive to help people escape. If you need anything else, please let me know. I'm living in London right now, but I'm looking for a house of my own."

"That is very generous of you," Sarah said, "thank you."

"It's the least I can do," Sirius replied.

* * *

Remus found Sirius in his study staring at a large map that he'd tacked up on a board. Bill was flipping through a travel book. "What are you doing?"

Looking around, Sirius quickly cast privacy spells and shared everything he'd learned that day. Remus dropped heavily into a chair.

He was silent for a few minutes. "So does this help us?"

"In a way," Sirius replied. He indicated pins in the map. "We know they went from Hogsmeade to Inverness to Bannockburn. If we follow the roads out of Scotland, they would have come down either the M6 or A1." He traced these roads briefly. "Because they were seen in Preston, I'm going to guess they went from Bannockburn to somewhere over here. We were thinking that maybe they were staying in the Lake District."

Remus looked up. "We didn't have anyone in the Lake District."

"No," Sirius agreed. "We had people in big cities and ports through which we thought they might leave the country."

"It's a big place," Remus said. "That's a lot of area to cover."

"I know," Sirius said, "but it's better than searching the whole of England. I talked to Minerva and she provided me with a list of Hogwarts Alumni in the area. There are a few dozen Muggle-born or Half-Blood alumni in that area. I thought they would be a good place to start."

"The white pins are alumni," Bill put in.

"How do you know who is Muggle-born and who is not?" Remus asked.

Sirius gestured to a large, rather dusty tome on his desk. Reading the name, Remus realized it was a Wizarding genealogy book. Sirius shrugged. "My mother's crazy pure blood instincts can be useful at times. She used to look through that crazy thing to try and find 'appropriate' brides for me and Regulus."

He opened the book and pointed to scribbling in the margin. "She even had notes on the families that are blood traitors and those who are more likely to be a docile bride." He glanced over at Bill. "I'm afraid she doesn't have very positive things to say about your family."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Bill said with a laugh.

"Did you give her one of your cards?" Remus asked.

"Yes, Remus," Sirius replied in a long suffering voice.

"Sorry," Remus said. "I'm just making sure."

"Sirius," Bill said, "I've been looking at this travel book and there are two rather small pockets of magical communities in that area – one near Wigtown and one near Appleby. I think they would be the best places to start."

"What are you going to do?" Remus asked.

"I've made copies of the pictures of Harry and Ginny before they changed their looks and pictures of their companion. We'll try the old fashioned way and ask if anyone knows them," Sirius replied. He shook his head. "I wish I'd thought to go to Hogsmeade before now."

"Did you talk to Dumbledore yet?" Remus asked.

"Not yet," Sirius said. "I don't trust him not to go in and obliterate all of the evidence of them. He's still not sure that Harry isn't guilty. I don't think he would turn him over to the Ministry, but I think he would imprison him just the same. I know Lily never told him about her group. I don't know why, but I'm not going to second-guess her now."

"I can't believe I forgot about them," Remus said.

* * *

Hermione sat down at the table next to Neville. Ron was sitting across from her. It was the day of the first Quidditch match for the year and Ron was looking a little green.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked gently.

He nodded jerkily, but didn't respond verbally. For once he was just playing with his food rather than actually eating. After mutilating his eggs, he sighed. "It just feels so wrong to be playing without Harry."

"I know, mate," Neville said soothingly. Hermione had the suspicion it was not the first time today he'd said that. He continued, "Can you imagine how mad Harry would be if he came back and found out the Gryffindor team fell all to pieces without him?"

Ron cracked a smile for the first time that day. "He would be gutted to come back and find out we'd lost all of our games without him."

"How is your new seeker?" Hermione asked.

"Julie? She's pretty good," Ron said as he started actually eating. "I mean she's nothing on Harry, but she's not bad. Katie isn't nearly as bad as a captain as Angelina. She's not quite so crazed."

"That's great," Hermione said encouragingly.

Neville and Hermione kept up the positive reinforcement through breakfast. Ron rose and headed out to the Quidditch pitch. To Hermione's displeasure, Susan Bones stopped him for a pre-game hug and kiss.

Ron and Susan had been dating for almost three months now. While Hermione didn't like it, she had to admit not a lot had changed for them. Ron spent time with Susan during the day, but in the evening he was in the common room with Hermione and Neville. On top of that, Hermione actually liked Susan - she just didn't like her dating Ron. She didn't really want to think too much about why that might be.

Hermione had accepted a date with Justin for the upcoming Hogsmeade visit. She had made it clear to him that she wasn't really looking for a relationship right now. As Hermione finished her breakfast, she reflected that the term hadn't been as awful as she thought it was going to be. She missed Harry and Ginny, but she enjoyed spending time with Padma, Ernie, and Justin.

Neville broke into her thoughts, "Are you ready to head out to the pitch?"

"I need to grab my cloak," Hermione replied. "It looks like it's cold outside."

Together they headed back up to Gryffindor Tower before joining most of the rest of the school at the Quidditch pitch. Hermione made a face when she noticed Draco already on the field joking with his teammates.

"He's acting like a right ponce this term, isn't he?" Neville commented.

Hermione nodded. "I thought that with the stupid Inquisitorial Squad being disbanded he might have been knocked down a few pegs, but apparently not."

"Do you think he knows anything?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. I imagine if he knew anything about Harry he'd be lording it over us all."

The morning passed quickly and ended in a Gryffindor victory. Hermione happily joined her Housemates in a victory party. Her partying mood quickly vanished when she saw Ron wrapped in Susan's arms. Grabbing a butterbeer, she headed out of the common room. It was times like this she really missed her other best friend.

* * *

"Master Sirius, sir."

Sirius turned to see Dobby hovering in the doorway. "Come on in Dobby."

He could see the little elf looked very upset. "What's wrong?"

"Dobby was cleaning bad Kreacher's den," Dobby explained. He held up a golden locket on a thick chain. "This is evil, Master Sirius. Old bad master had evil things as well."

Reaching out, Sirius gingerly took the locket. It was a rather ugly locket engraved with a stylized S. "This is Slytherin's mark."

Dropping the locket on the desk, he cast a containment spell around it. He turned to the little elf. "You did a great job, Dobby. Can you find Remus and Bill and ask them to come over?"

"Yes, Master."

Within fifteen minutes, the two men had joined Sirius in his study. He quickly explained what had transpired.

Bill cast a series of spells over the locket before nodding. "It's definitely a Horcrux."

"How in Merlin's name did it end up in here?" Remus asked.

Sirius gasped. He called out, "Dobby!"

"Yes, Master," Dobby said as he popped into the room.

"Go up to the attic and get the box labelled 'Regulus'."

Dobby nodded and left only to return a few moments later. "Is this what you were looking for Master?"

"Yes." Sirius grabbed the box. "Thank you, Dobby."

Setting the box down on his desk, Sirius lifted the top. He rummaged through the box until he came up with a dragon-skin bound journal. "My brother was a compulsive journal keeper," he explained.

Sitting at the desk he thumbed through the book, slowing down towards the end. He read through the journal, his face losing colour as he did so. "Merlin."

"What is it?" Remus asked anxiously.

"He…he found out what Voldemort was up to," Sirius said as he scanned the last few pages. "Voldemort asked to borrow an elf, so Regulus lent him Kreacher. I think Voldemort thought Kreacher would die, but Regulus had asked him to return. Listen to this."

'_The Dark Lord took Kreacher to a cave set into some cliffs. There was some type of underground lake with a small island set in the middle. From Kreacher's description, it sounded like there were Inferi in the lake. I believe the Dark Lord was testing the defences around his latest Horcrux. He had Kreacher drink some vile drink that sounded like it was a liquid Dementor. Once the bowl was clear, he dropped the locket into the bowl. I believe he intended for Kreacher to die in the cave, but I had instructed Kreacher to return to me._

_I am going to replace the locket tonight and attempt to destroy it. I know it won't be easy, but I believe it is the right thing to do. It is hard to believe that Sirius was actually right about the Dark Lord. I should never have listened to Bellatrix and taken the Mark._

_Last night we went to a Muggle's home and tortured them. Why? No particular reason, Bellatrix just felt like it. They had a two year old child. I can't imagine anything in the world that justifies torturing a two year old._

_If I don't return from the cave, I pray that Kreacher can destroy the locket.'_

Sirius took a moment to wipe his eyes, he didn't even remember them filling with tears. "We need to talk to Dumbledore."

* * *

Ginny sat at the desk in the study trying to work on her maths homework. She was having trouble concentrating. Harry had called after football practice and told her he was going over to Mark's for a while.

She heard the front door open and close and heard the footsteps head across the house and up the stairs. She knew it was Harry from his tread.

"Harry!"

As soon as he entered the study, Ginny knew something was wrong. Her heart sank. "What's wrong?"

He sat down on the floor next to her, but he still hadn't looked up at her.

"Harry,'" Ginny said softly.

He finally looked up at her and she was shocked to see how upset he was. "Gin."

She knelt down on the floor next to him and took him in her arms. "What happened?"

For a few minutes she didn't think he was going to answer her. He simply wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder. He seemed to gather strength from her and he sat back.

"I went over to Mark's after practice. He told me most of the guys were going to be there. A few of the guys from the team were there, but so were Paige and Nita. Brian and Nick started drinking and soon Mark and Paige were…"

Harry blushed so Ginny had a fairly good idea of what was happening. He continued, "He had her shirt open and…I didn't want to see that. I started to leave and Nita cornered me. She started in on how I should be with her and she could take care of me."

He looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "I swear, I didn't encourage her or anything, but the next thing I know she had her shirt off." He shook his head, "I don't want to see that. Well, I mean I would want to see that on you, but not on her. Oh God, did I say that out loud?"

Ginny smiled, "Yes, you did. Did you have anything to drink?"

He blushed, "I had a bit of ale."

"I imagine it was more than a bit," Ginny said gently. "What happened next?"

"Nita…she didn't believe that I didn't want to…you know, do anything with her. She tried to kiss me," Harry said quietly. "I pushed her away and she…she put her hand down my trousers. She…it…I pushed her away again and this time I just left. Why would she do that? I didn't want her to, I swear. I didn't." He squirmed a bit. "It made me feel dirty."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him. If any other guy had told her this story, she probably wouldn't have believed them. However, she could feel the confusion and guilt radiating off of him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should never have gone over there."

"It's okay," Ginny said quietly. She leaned down and kissed him. He responded eagerly.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore stared at both the locket and the journal Sirius had handed to him.

"Are we right?" Sirius asked.

Closing his eyes, Dumbledore replied, "Yes, you are."

"Damn," Sirius said. "For once, I was really hoping I was wrong."

"I believe he split his soul seven times," Dumbledore said sadly. "When Harry handed me the diary, I had a hard time believing it was a normal diary. I have been investigating both Tom and his movements after he left here ever since."

"Seven?" Bill echoed. "Merlin, that's…I can't even imagine."

"Tom has always shown an interest in the Founders," Dumbledore explained. "After he left Hogwarts, he worked at Borgin and Burkes. I believe he was searching for items he felt were 'worthy' of being used to create his Horcruxes. From my research, I believe he used not only the diary and locket, but also Hufflepuff's cup. I am not certain what else he may have used, possibly a relic from Ravenclaw."

He gestured to Gryffindor's sword behind him. "This is the only known relic of Gryffindor and I am certain it is not a Horcrux."

"May I check?" Bill asked.

Dumbledore was a bit surprised that he wasn't taken at his word, but agreed. Bill cast the spells over the sword and after a few moments, nodded. "It is not a Horcrux."

"I had not planned on sharing this with anyone," Dumbledore said. "In light of recent events, however, I believe it might be prudent to share it with the two of you."

With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore summons his Pensieve. "Let me share with you the memories I have retrieved."

It was almost an hour later when the three men emerged from the Pensieve. Sirius and Bill both looked a bit shocked at what they had learned.

"So he showed signs of being evil from a young age," Bill remarked.

"He did," Dumbledore agreed. "Unfortunately, he was also blessed with a fair face and the ability to charm most people."

"So where do you think he hid his other Horcruxes?" Sirius asked.

"I have a lead on one possible location," Dumbledore said slowly. "I had planned to visit it this summer, but with everything that happened I did not have time. Perhaps if you gentlemen have nothing else planned, you might join me this Friday night?"

"We'll be here," Sirius said.

* * *

Harry gripped Ginny's hand tightly as they headed out to the Bonfire Night celebrations. It had been two weeks since Nita had tried to seduce Harry and she'd spread all sorts of rumours around the school. The only good thing to come of it, in Harry's opinion, was Mark broke up with Paige when he heard what had happened. Apparently the two girls had planned it.

"This is great," Ginny whispered as they watched the night parade pass by.

"I agree," Harry said as he stole a kiss.

"I've never seen this," she commented as they started strolling across the square to the carts that were set up to sell pies and drinks.

"It was never celebrated much in Little Whinging," Harry said. "Too disorderly. My uncle used to rail against hooligans. I remember when I was little, one of the neighbour kids came to beg for pennies for his Guy. My uncle yelled at this poor kid. I felt badly for him, he was just a kid."

Harry purchased each of them a meat pie and a bottle of apple cider. They continued to walk around the square occasionally waving to friends. Harry spotted a cart selling sparklers.

"Ginny, we have to get some of these," he enthused as he looked over the selection. He bought a box of gold sparklers and a small lighter. "I always wanted to get some of these."

He showed Ginny how to light them and they had fun playing with them. She giggled as she drew a heart with her sparkler, "These are fun."

She looked up at Harry, his face mostly in the dark. His eyes were shining and a smile was on his face. Impulsively she leaned up and kissed him. He grinned down at her.

Taking her hand, he led the way over to the large open field. There were two separate bonfires burning and there were children running around. As it got later, many of the people sat down on the park benches or pulled out blankets to sit on the grass. Having been forewarned by his friends, Harry had brought a blanket with them. Together they sat down and Ginny leaned up against him as the fireworks started lighting up the sky.

The two alternated between kissing and watching the fireworks. As the explosion of colour from the finale faded, Harry smiled down at his girlfriend. "It didn't last long enough."

She smiled and pulled him down for one more kiss before they got up to leave. Harry picked up the blanket and shoved it back in his bag. As they started to cross the field, Harry heard the dreaded words, "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Turning, he saw a group of black robed Death Eaters striding into the field. They were laughing and hexing the Muggles. Unfortunately, most of the Muggles didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Harry saw the green flash of the killing curse two more times.

Pulling his wand, he ran towards the Death Eaters with Ginny only steps behind him. They used the dark and surprise to their advantage and stunned several of the Death Eaters. Once they realized they were under attack, the leader yelled, "We're leaving!"

The Death Eaters Apparated away leaving a horrifying scene behind them. Five Muggles lay dead and more than twenty more were wounded.

"We need to get out of here," Ginny whispered, pulling on Harry's arm.

He nodded mechanically and the two hurried back to the Griffins' house, trying to avoid the screaming crowds and the newly arriving members of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

* * *

They arrived back at the Griffins' to find Kristine and Richard tending to a wounded Jacob.

"What happened?" Kristine demanded. "That is a Cutting Curse on his leg."

"Death Eaters," Harry said shortly. "They showed up at the end of the fireworks. I don't know how many people were injured, but I know some people were killed."

Kristine gasped. Before she could say anything, the phone rang. Kristine hurried to answer it.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked Jacob.

He nodded, "I never realized…I mean I always thought magic was a bit of a lark, nothing too serious. My granny uses it to clean her house."

"My parents were killed by magic," Harry said softly. "The Killing Curse. Did you see the green flashes of light?"

Jacob nodded and Harry said, "That's the Killing Curse."

Kristine returned a few minute later, her face worried and drawn. "That was Clara - there were attacks in London as well. She said there were attacks all over the country – some have what sound like the Dark Mark." She looked at the teens. "Did you see the Dark Mark?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but we started attacking the Death Eaters. I think that threw them off a bit. As soon as they realized they were under attack, they left."

"Did the Ministry show up?" Kristine asked.

"They were arriving when we left," Harry said.

Kristine exchanged a look with her husband. "They might come by here. I am one of the few witches in the area."

"Do we need to move?" Harry asked.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea," Kristine replied. "Go pack up and get some sleep. We can put them off tonight. If there were really attacks all over the country they probably won't investigate too closely tonight. We will make arrangements in the morning."

The two headed upstairs. Ginny looked over at Harry. "I'm going to take a shower."

After kissing her, Harry went into his room to start packing. He had just finished when he heard Ginny go into her room. Knocking lightly on the door to make sure she'd left the bathroom, he showered. His mind was racing, he had no idea who had been injured or who had been killed. He hoped that none of his new friends had died.

Once he finished in the shower, he pulled on his pyjamas and towel dried his hair. He glanced at the closed door that separated him from Ginny. Deciding that tonight he needed to be closer to her, he knocked on her door.

When he opened it, he found her zipping up her bag. He walked over to her and held out his arms. She walked into them eagerly. For a time they just held each other. They could still hear screaming and noise in the streets. Police helicopters were in the air and the sound of sirens could be heard.

"This is awful," Ginny whispered.

Harry nodded against her head. He looked down at her. "Can I stay with you tonight? I just really don't want to be alone."

"Of course," she whispered.

They climbed into bed and Harry wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and the two slowly drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7 The Opinions of Men Change

**A/N: Thanks again to my betas StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent for their hard work! Towards the end of the chapter I mention a motto for the Potter family. I couldn't find one in my search of the internet so I 'borrowed' Harry's motto from Jaconais' story 'This Means War' it really seems to fit him.**_**  
**_

* * *

_**November 8 – December 25, 1996**_

**Fudge Government Toppled**

_By Leo Cregg_

**After the incredible loss of life during Bonfire Night, it was only a matter of time before Minister Cornelius Fudge was voted out of office. In a unanimous Vote of No Confidence, the Wizengamot removed Mr Fudge and replaced him with Rufus Scrimgeour. Mr Scrimgeour has been the Head of the Auror Department and has promised to meet the threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named head on. **

**The Death Eater attacks on Bonfire Night were the first coordinated attacks we have seen since You-Know-Who's heydays in the late 1970s. More than sixty communities all over the United Kingdom were attacked and over five hundred deaths have been reported. Minister Scrimgeour is working with the Muggle government and the attacks have been reported in the Muggle press as terrorist attacks.**

**In some communities, people attempted to fight back. A few Death Eaters were killed by Muggles using a Muggle weapon called a gun. Other Death Eater attacks were thwarted by witches or wizards who lived in the communities under attack, but most of the attacks were unopposed.**

**Auror response to the attacks was ineffective or non-existent. Minister Scrimgeour has promised to increase the number of Aurors on the streets. Another initiative the Minister supports is community training. He is calling upon community leaders to work with the Ministry to develop plans to deal with the potential of future attacks.**

**We hope Minister Scrimgeour's government will be able to deal with the threat to our way of life.**

Hermione set the paper down on the table with a slightly shaky hand after she'd reread the article for what must have been the fourth or fifth time. It was late in the evening and the Common Room was almost empty. The past week had been a very difficult week for the whole school.

Several students had lost family members. The only person Hermione knew personally was Hannah Abbott. Hannah's mother had been killed and she'd left the school on Wednesday morning. Hermione had heard from her own parents and was relieved to hear that they were both fine, but had been shaken to hear that her uncle's house had been destroyed.

"Hermione?"

She turned to see Ron standing in front of her. "Hi, Ron."

"Are you okay?" Ron asked as he dropped in the chair across from her.

"It just seems so horrible," she said softly, gesturing to the paper. "My parents said that everyone is very tense. Of course none of the Muggles know what really happened. In some places they blame gangs or terrorists and in other places where no one was actually killed they are blaming teenagers getting a little out of hand."

Ron nodded. "My mum said the same thing. There was an attack in Ottery St Catchpole. Two people were killed in the village. My brothers went down to help, but by the time they got there it was basically over."

"Have you heard anything else?" Hermione asked.

"Not much," Ron admitted. "Bill is busy with the Order in London. The twins have been going to a lot of Quidditch matches all of a sudden."

"Quidditch matches?"

"Yeah, they've gone to several Wigton and Appleby matches," Ron said. "I don't really understand it. They've never supported either of those teams." He paused looking around the Common Room. "I think they are looking for Harry and Ginny. I don't know for certain, but a few things they've said made me think it has something to do with Ginny."

"Really?" Hermione looked excited. "That would be great. Do you know if any progress has been made in the investigation?"

The tips of Ron's ears flushed and he said, "Susan said her aunt thinks that now that Fudge is out of office it will be easier to find out what happened. He was positive that Harry killed Umbridge and didn't want to hear anything else. Kingsley's heading up the Auror Department now. He's already found two Aurors who are also Death Eaters. Madam Bones is using that as a basis to reopen the investigation."

"Reopen it? They had closed the investigation?"

"Not exactly, but Fudge made it clear he only wanted evidence against Harry," Ron explained disdainfully. "Did you know they hid the fact thatMalfoy was in Hogsmeade that night?"

He nodded at her shocked look. "Sirius found out. The Auror who interviewed Madam Rosmerta was a Death Eater and he didn't tell anyone what she'd said. Sirius was rereading all of the testimony and realized that there was no testimony from her. Bill told me about it."

"Have you noticed that Professor Dumbledore has not been here much this week?" Hermione asked.

Ron nodded. "Professor McGonagall has been missing some meals as well." He shrugged. "I figured that they were doing something with the Order. My mum says she's been spending a lot of time in London, I figured that means she's at Grimmauld Place."

Hermione sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "I hate feeling so left out of things."

"I know," Ron replied. He fell silent for a few minutes before asked, "Do you think they're safe?"

"Harry and Ginny?" Hermione clarified.

Ron nodded. She sighed, "I hope so. I'm hoping the fact that we haven't heard anything is good news."

* * *

Harry knocked on Ginny's door. It took a minute, but she did open the door. He leaned in and kissed her gently. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Ginny responded brightly.

He looked her over. "You look really pretty."

"Thank you," she blushed.

She now had brown hair with golden blond highlights. Her eyes were back to her natural brown.

"Are you ready to head down?" he asked.

She nodded and together they headed down to the ground floor kitchen. Their hostess, Carys Astley, was waiting for them.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. "I have some scones and cream, if you would like some."

"Thank you," Harry said.

The teens sat at the wooden table in the centre of the large kitchen. This was definitely a Magical house. It had taken them almost a week to arrange their new home in Wales.

The day after Bonfire Night, as Mrs Griffin had expected, Aurors came to visit her. She explained that she had not attended the celebrations and had learned of the attacks only after her son had returned home injured. After examining her wand, the Aurors accepted her story, but had returned several times with more questions. They knew someone had fought back against the Death Eaters, but with all of the magic used that night they couldn't pinpoint who had cast the spells. In the end, the Aurors had written it off to witches or wizards unknown.

Harry and Ginny were upset to find out that Harry's friend, Mark, had been injured in the melee that had ensued after the attacks. They also knew one of the dead. Nita had been killed by the Death Eaters. Harry felt a bit uncomfortable in the knowledge that once again he knew someone who'd been killed by the Death Eaters simply by existing. Ginny tried to reassure him that he couldn't have done anything differently and while he knew the attacks weren't because he was there, he still felt he could maybe have done something differently.

Mrs Griffin had tried several times to arrange transportation, but in the end Harry had decided that he and Ginny would just take the train. It had made Ginny a bit nervous as they had needed to change trains twice, but they'd made it without any problems. Following Mrs Griffin's instructions, they ended up in the town of Rhyl, in northern Wales.

Their new hostess, Carys, had been involved with the Friends of Lily organization since the early 1980s and was quite experienced in helping Muggles and Muggle-borns escape out of the country or to blend into society. She owned an antique store in town and had contacts all over the British Isles, as well as the European Continent. Unlike Mrs Griffin, Carys was a practicing witch, but she lived and worked with Muggles.

After finishing breakfast, Harry turned to Carys. "I've been thinking and I think we've been going about this all wrong."

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"We've been learning to live in the Muggle world, which is great. I think we need to be able to function in both worlds, but we need to be learning Magic. Our enemies are Magical and we need to be able to fight properly."

The older witch nodded thoughtfully. "That is true."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "I didn't expect you to agree with me."

She laughed. "You are almost an adult Harry – yes I know who you are, I recognized you." She waved away his shock. "The problem is you are still underage. Are you familiar with the Trace?"

"The Trace?" Harry asked in confusion. He shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

To his surprise it was Ginny who explained it. "The Trace is the charm that detects underage magic. It breaks when you come of age."

Carys nodded. "That is not a complete explanation. It detects magic around those under seventeen, however it cannot tell who performed the Magic. It is used to detect Magic in the Muggle world."

"Oh, that's…before my second year, a house elf used Magic in my aunt's house and I was blamed for it. So the Ministry knew Magic was performed and because I was the Magical person who lived there I was blamed?" Harry said slowly.

"That sounds right," Carys replied gently. "The Trace was originally to protect the Muggle-born students. Way back some Muggle-born students got into trouble by using Magic they couldn't reverse or didn't understand. Magical students have their parents to help them, but obviously Muggle-borns didn't have that protection. The Trace breaks when you turn seventeen."

"Is there any way around it?" Harry asked.

Carys rose and started putting the scones away. "There are two ways around it that I know of. One is to be emancipated. Your parent or legal guardian would have to complete certain forms and testify before the Wizengamot, who then has to ratify the motion."

"That doesn't sound very likely," Ginny said. "What is the other way?"

"The other way isn't much better. The other way is to get married. At least one of the couple must be seventeen or older and the other must be fourteen or older. If one of the parties is under the age of seventeen they must have parental permission," Carys explained.

"That doesn't help us much either," Harry groaned.

Colouring brightly, Ginny asked, "Is there any way around that? Is there any place that the marriage age is under seventeen?"

Carys smiled gently. "Aye, in Scotland the marriage age is sixteen. How old are you, dear?"

"Fifteen," Ginny said, slightly sad at the thought.

Harry smiled at her before turning back to Carys. "But if I understand what you are telling me, they wouldn't know if we used magic in your house."

Carys sighed. "It isn't quite that easy. Because I live in a Muggle area, if there is a sudden spike in magical usage they might investigate. They have before."

She looked at the two teens compassionately. "I do have an idea, however."

Harry brightened up. "What?"

"Not all Magical study requires Magic," she said simply.

Harry looked over at Ginny and was relieved to see she was as confused as he was.

"What?"

Carys finished cleaning up the kitchen and re-joined them at the table. "What I understand you saying is you need to learn magic to help you survive, right?"

"Right," Harry agreed.

"I can develop a curriculum of Transfiguration, Charms, Defence, Potions, and Runes. I taught my children at home so I have the experience in teaching," Carys explained. "Potions and Runes don't require any active Magic – with Potions the Magic is in the ingredients and with Runes it is with the casting. While we are here in the city, the two of you can study those two topics. After Christmas, I was planning to go to my country home in the Afan Valley. A little publicized fact about the Afan Valley is that it naturally suppresses magical signatures."

"So that means we can practice magic there?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Yes, you can practice magic there," Carys confirmed. "In the meantime, I have some older Potions books and a book on Runes. They can get you started. I can order more up to date books on the other topics."

"Excellent," Harry said. "We have another problem. Transportation – we can't get around anywhere on our own. We have to rely on either public transportation or others to drive us around. Do you have any suggestions?"

"When we get to the country, I can teach you to Apparate," Carys said. "Technically you need a licence, but I think we can get around that for now. I have never learned to drive a car, but we might be able to have someone in the Valley work with you on driving. They often teach their children at a younger age in more rural areas. Again, you can't get your license to drive or to Apparate until you are seventeen, but we can still teach you."

"That would be great," Harry replied sincerely.

He was glad that she was willing to help them. He glanced over at Ginny and she seemed pleased as well. He had told her his plan on the way over to Wales and she had supported the decision. The deaths in Aston had shaken both of them. It was like they'd been living in a dream world and suddenly their nightmares came to life and intruded. They both realized the need to be more proactive than they had been.

* * *

Amelia Bones thanked her aide for the tea and crumpets before getting down to the business at hand. It was her weekly meeting with Kingsley Shacklebolt. She found working with Kingsley much easier than working with Rufus had been. Rufus was a good Auror, but as he was promoted through the ranks, Amelia had found that he was a bit too much of a politician and not as good a leader.

"We've investigated the Bonfire Night attacks," Kingsley began. "As you know there were sixty-two towns and villages attacked. It is interesting to note that none of the major cities were attacked. Little Whinging was attacked, we believe because of Harry's relationship to the area, but there were no attacks in London itself.

"We estimate that over four hundred Death Eaters were involved in the attack. The parties in each area were composed of five to eight people. Twenty Death Eaters were killed and five were captured. None of them were high level Death Eaters and none were over the age of twenty-five so they are all new recruits."

"That is not encouraging," Amelia said. "The fact that he is able to recruit so many in such a short period of time is discouraging."

Kingsley nodded. "I believe that was part of his strategy – a show of strength. Not all of the Death Eaters were British either so we believe he is recruiting strongly overseas as well. Charlie Weasley reported that several of the workers at the Dragon reserve have been approached, but he is doing his best to counteract their propaganda.

"Those who fought back against the Death Eaters were a mixed bag. Of the Magical people who fought back they were either Muggle-born or married into a Muggle family. The Muggles who fought back were mostly a part of the Muggle military or police. There did not appear to be any one target, merely a show of force and of course to spread terror and dissent."

"Unfortunately, they succeeded all too well," Amelia said. She took a sip of her tea as she looked over the reports Kingsley had provided.

"Okay," she said at length once she'd had a chance to ask questions. "What about the investigation into the deaths at Hogsmeade?"

Kingsley reached for the stack of files he'd brought with him and pulled out one of them. "We identified two Aurors who participated in the original investigation that were actually Death Eaters. They are the ones who suppressed the information about Malfoy and McNair being in the village that night."

"So did they kill everyone on the Knight Bus?" Amelia asked.

"Not certain," Kingsley replied. "Malfoy was seen in the late afternoon, hours before any of the deaths. No one saw them in Hogsmeade after six in the evening. We haven't found many cooperative witnesses at Hogwarts either. The ones who probably know what happened are the members of the Inquisitorial Squad. They are of course children of known Death Eaters and other Voldemort supporters. They are being protected by their parents and their parents' money. Snape has not been overly cooperative either in telling us who was on the Squad or allowing any access."

Amelia rubbed her forehead. "Let's look at this logically. Potter was initially a suspect because he is a Parselmouth and he had just been expelled by Umbridge, correct?"

"Yes," Kingsley agreed. "That and the lack of any Dark Magic we presumed Voldemort would have used."

"What about the bloody robes recovered from the Shrieking Shack?" Amelia asked looking at her notes.

"The blood is all Potter's," Kingsley said. "He appears to have been hit in the back with perhaps a Cutting Curse, most of the damage is in the back. It also appears that someone ripped strips out of the robe to use to clean up more blood or perhaps to be used as a bandage, we aren't certain which."

"So that would be consistent with him being chased from the grounds," Amelia said.

"Yes," Kingsley replied simply.

"So Potter and the Weasley girl were attacked, chased from the grounds and hid for some period of time in the Shrieking Shack. They were gone in the morning, but it is possible they spent the night there."

"Yes, the bed was made up so they could have slept there." Kingsley said.

"Are we certain they did that?" Amelia asked. "Could it have been used as a trysting spot?"

"We don't believe so," he replied. "Most of the students are scared of it and those who knew how to get to it denied performing the charms. Molly Weasley said that her daughter would know the charms to make up a bed."

"So, if they were hiding, how did they coerce Umbridge to come back out to the grounds? They weren't seen by any of the students and I can't imagine they wouldn't have just tried to escape."

"We theorized that Umbridge might have been out walking the grounds. She did that from time to time," Kingsley said. "I'm a bit ashamed to say I was influenced by Dumbledore's fears that Voldemort could be influencing Potter."

"Okay, talk me through the theory that Potter and Weasley are behind the Knight Bus massacre."

Kingsley squirmed a bit, knowing that hadn't been his finest hour. "Initially they were suspects because they had fled Hogwarts and the bus had stopped between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. The theory was the bus denied them transport and Potter snapped and killed them. I admit now that theory is full of holes. There is no reason for the bus to have denied them transport, Potter had money and had used the bus before. Bill Weasley also pointed out that Unforgivables were used on the bus and those take a lot of hate and a lot of practice. I don't see either of those kids being able to do that."

"I thought Dumbledore believed it was possible for Voldemort to be in control of Potter."

"He did or does, I'm not sure which," Kingsley agreed. "However, I have talked to several of Potter's friends and they told me he is able to resist the Imperius Curse and even resisted Voldemort's Imperius Curse. Given that, I find it difficult to believe Potter was under Voldemort's control."

Amelia sighed, "Kingsley, this is a huge mess. Damn Fudge and Dumbledore both. They both kept pushing their agendas without even thinking everything through." She sat back in her chair as she mulled over the options.

"I am of the opinion that Potter and Weasley did nothing wrong," Amelia said. "Unfortunately, Fudge managed to get the expulsion order approved. In order to reverse that we would need a directive stating that speaking Parseltongue is not a Dark Art – something I don't think we could get in this political climate. I spoke to Rufus and he is not inclined to reverse the expulsion. He wants to get his hands on Potter – what for I am not entirely certain."

"I agree," Kingsley said. "The more I investigate, the more questions I have."

"I want you to go to Hogwarts and question Severus Snape. He was vouched for by Dumbledore, but he is a Death Eater. If he can't or won't answer our questions, he can be imprisoned," Amelia stated firmly.

* * *

Sirius winced as he watched Appleby score for the fourth time in as many minutes. He glanced around at the crowd and decided he would head out to one of the pubs and see what he could find out. One the way out, he purchased a program for Ron. He still didn't understand why the boy liked the Cannons so much, but if a program would make him happy he would buy one.

He left the stadium and headed west on A66 and a short time later pulled off at the town of Penrith. Riding down the street, he garnered a fair amount of attention. He knew it was rather late in the year to be riding his motorcycle, but as long as the roads were passable he preferred the old motorcycle to borrowing a car.

Pulling up outside a small tavern, he entered the building. It was an old fashioned looking building called the Giant's Cradle. He was soon seated at a table and ordered some fish and chips. It was obviously a slow day and the waitress didn't seem busy.

Turning on the charm, he smiled at the woman. "Excuse me, ma'am."

"Yes," she turned around. "My name is Jane."

"Jane, I was wondering if you could help me. This past summer my godson and his girlfriend stayed with some friends in the area and I can't remember exactly where it was, but I think it was around here." Sirius pulled the pictures of Harry and Ginny out of his pocket. "Have you seen them around here?"

Jane took the pictures and seemed to study them. "You know, I think I have." She turned to the other waitress who was hovering by the back. "Do you remember this boy? I'm sure I've seen him."

The other woman looked at the photo. "Yeah, from the sailing club, remember him and his girl were staying with some people over in…Keswick I think." She nodded. "My boy loves to sail and this other boy, Harry, I think, was in the youth sailing club over the summer."

"Thank you," he said softly. He quickly altered their memories and finished his meal.

Once he was done, he headed back to the road and continued west towards Keswick. His mind was racing. Could he possibly have found them? Or at least found where they'd been?

Within twenty minutes he was driving into Keswick. He stopped at a real estate office. He figured one of the best ways to see the town was to ask someone who was literally all over the town.

"Mr Black?"

He stood up from the chair where he was waiting. "Yes. I am Sirius Black. Please call me Sirius."

"Sirius, then, I am Theresa." The woman smiled at him as she gestured him back into her office. She was an attractive woman about Sirius' age with dark hair and blue eyes. "So I understand you are looking for a home in the area?"

"Yes, I have a family home in London, but I was hoping for a country home."

She smiled, "You have come to the right place. What made you decide on Keswick?"

"My godson spent some time here this past summer," Sirius explained. "He loved the sailing and just raved about how beautiful it was here." He pulled out a picture from his pocket of Harry.

"Good looking boy," Theresa said with a well-practiced smile. "Will he be staying with you?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I'm hoping for something with at least three bedrooms and I'd like something with a bit of land."

Theresa was making notes as they talked. She reached over at pulled out a book that

Sirius could see was labelled 'Listings' and began flipping through the book. "Are you interested in historical homes or guest homes?"

"I don't know," Sirius replied honestly. He thought about it for a moment. "An historical home would be nice."

"What is your budget?" Theresa asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't want to spend a fortune on a new house. I think I'd like to keep it under a million pounds."

"Under a million?" Theresa looked as though she was trying to determine if he was being serious or not.

He nodded. "It would have to be an exceptional house to make me go over a million."

"Very well," Theresa said. "I have a beautiful property that is outside of town. It's a former coach house that has been wonderfully redone. It has four bedrooms and has beautiful views of the Skiddaw mountain range. There is a small summer house on the property as well as a garage."

She handed him a brochure on the property and Sirius found himself impressed. It was a beautiful property and he _was_ looking for a country home. "Tell me a bit about the summer home."

"It is a small property, but it has a kitchenette, a sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom. It could be seen as a small flat, but with excellent views."

Sirius nodded. "I think I would like to see it."

"Excellent," Theresa smiled. "Do you have time to see it today?"

"Yes," Sirius said. He soon found himself in Theresa's car heading for the property. She spent the drive extolling the virtues of the town as well as the house he was to see. To his surprise, he was actually interested in the house. He'd used this ruse in several other towns, but he felt he was much closer to learning about his godson here than in any other town.

She pulled up outside of a beautiful stone house. Sirius immediately fell in love. The house was beautiful and the gardens were exquisite. He poked around the little summer house and he thought it would be perfect for Remus. It would give him his own space, but they would be close. The views were phenomenal and the house was secluded enough for flying.

Theresa was talking about something called satellite television. He interrupted her, "I'll take it."

She paused and looked back at him, not sure if she heard him correctly. "You'll take it?"

"Yes, it's perfect."

"You haven't even asked the price," Theresa said.

Sirius laughed, "Okay, what's the price?"

"They are asking for £ 550,000. It is fair market value for a house of this size and with this type of land," Theresa explained. When she saw she hadn't dissuaded him, she said, "If you would like, I can take you round to the bank. They can help you set up financing as such."

"I won't need financing," Sirius said absently, not noticing the shock on her face. "I'll make arrangements to pay off the balance."

"Certainly," Theresa said as she guided him back to the car. She drove to the bank and asked for the manager. She had worked with David Harper on several occasions and felt he was the right person to help her.

Sirius entered the bank and looked around. It was much different than any bank he'd ever seen; it was clean and bright with people, not goblins, behind the counters. Instead of guiding him to the counters, Theresa guided him to a seating area.

"I'll be right back," she said.

She returned in a moment with a tall sandy haired man. "Sirius Black, this is David Harper. He is the manager of this branch and he will be able to help you."

Sirius held out his hand. He didn't miss the way the man had reacted when he'd heard Sirius' name. "Mr Harper."

"Please, call me David."

Sirius followed David into his office. While David closed the office door, Sirius looked around. He gasped when he saw a picture of the pretty blonde woman for whom he'd been searching. He spun around to face David.

"That is my wife, Deena," David said, gesturing to the picture. He sat down behind his desk. "You are Sirius Black…Harry's godfather."

Sirius sank into the chair across the desk. "You know who I am."

David laughed. "Harry talked about you quite a bit. He really misses you."

"Do you know where he is?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid not," David said. "My wife took them to Preston at the end of the summer. All we know is they were headed somewhere near Sheffield and they were going to be enrolled in school."

Sirius sank back into the chair. "Damn! I figured he'd been in this area, but it's taken a while to figure out exactly where he'd been."

"He had a great summer, if that helps at all," David said compassionately. "He and Ginny spent a lot of time outdoors. They learned how to sail and spent quite a bit of time on the lake."

Sirius nodded. "That's how I ended up here. A few towns over a woman told me he sailed in the same club as her son."

"I take it this means you aren't really interested in purchasing this house," David said.

"Actually, I do want to buy it," Sirius said. "I have wanted to find a place in the country

and this house just really seemed perfect."

"Excellent," David said. He looked over the man sitting across from him. "Does this mean I will be dealing with Gringotts?"

Sirius grinned. "Yes, indeed." He pulled a card from his wallet. "This is the goblin in charge of my account. He will arrange to transfer the amount required. I believe Theresa is in contact with the current owners as we speak." He gestured to where the woman was talking on the phone.

"Very good," David said. He laughed. "I remember the first time I went to Diagon Alley with my sister. We'd just learned she was a witch and everything was so new and bizarre. We went into Gringotts and it just…it was so amazing."

"Gringotts is very impressive," Sirius said. "I've been going there since I was a child."

"Is your whole family magical?"

Sirius laughed. "Yes, I come from a very old, pureblood family. Unfortunately, most of them are on the opposite side of the war. I take it you are not magical?"

"No, I'm a Muggle, but my sister is a witch. She became involved in the Friends of Lily organization years ago and this summer she asked us to take in a couple of young teens. We had plenty of room, so we agreed."

At this point Theresa knocked on the door. "I spoke to the owners and they are happy to sell for £540,000."

"Wonderful," David said. "Let's get down to business."

* * *

"What?" Remus asked incredulously. "You just bought a house?"

Sirius laughed. "You knew I was looking. Why are you so surprised? The area is beautiful and there is a little summer house in the back that is perfect for you."

"How much did this cost you?"

Sirius shrugged. "Almost 110,000 Galleons."

"Sirius," Remus said weakly.

"It's fine," Sirius said. "I hardly put a dent in my vault. Plus I met the people Harry stayed with over the summer. They are really nice people and I'm sure they'd love to meet you. They specifically asked about you," he said, turning to Bill. "Ginny talked about you and your family quite a bit."

"That sounds great," Bill said sincerely.

"How is Dumbledore?" Sirius asked as they turned towards business.

"He's ready to go," Remus said. "He's wanted to go check this house out for a Horcrux for a while now. The attacks obviously distracted him for a while, but he's getting

impatient."

"Are we meeting him there?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded, "He thought he found the cave your brother talked about and he wanted to check that out first. He'll meet us in Little Hangleton."

The three men Apparated to the coordinates provided by Dumbledore. They were standing on a rather desolate road in front of an overgrown copse of trees. Sirius peered into the trees. "Is that a house?"

"It is indeed," Dumbledore said as he joined them.

"The Gaunt house," Bill said suddenly. "The one we saw in the memories."

"Correct," Dumbledore said. "I believe Tom created another Horcrux from the family ring he took from his uncle. He wore the ring quite openly while he was still at school; I doubt he would have done so if he had already turned it into a Horcrux. I believe he later turned it into a Horcrux and hid it here in the old family home."

"Why?" Sirius asked as they drew closer to the dilapidated old house.

"I believe he felt powerful here," Dumbledore replied. "He destroyed the family he believed abandoned him."

The house looked much worse than in the memory they had seen. The weeds around the house were waist deep in some spots. The walls were overgrown with moss and vines and the roof was practically non-existent. The door was missing panels and all of the small windows were broken.

Bill drew his wand. "There is a lot of magic surrounding this house." He closed his eyes and murmured several phrases none of the others understood. The house suddenly lit with multi-coloured lights.

Sirius and Remus both took a step backwards. Bill began to slowly dismantle the protective wards surrounding the house.

"That's impressive," Sirius whispered to Remus. Remus nodded and the two old friends stood silently while the Curse Breaker worked. Bill had a sheen of sweat built up by the time the last curse was broken.

"Thank you, William," Dumbledore said. "I am quite certain it would have taken me much longer."

Bill nodded as he wiped his face on a towel he'd conjured. He pulled a bottle of water out of his bag and downed it quickly. He straightened up and gingerly pushed open the door to the house. They all ducked as a swarm of bats flew out over their heads.

Shaking his head, Bill led the way into the house. A thick layer of dust covered everything. Sirius wrinkled his nose as the odour of bat guano and other unidentified smells filled the air.

"Over here," Bill said with his wand lighting the way. He led the way over to the stone fireplace. Like everything else in the house, it was filthy. The interior was caked with black soot and a rusting cauldron still hung from the holder. As the light from Bill's wand played over the bricks of the chimney, Sirius suddenly said, "Stop, go back"

Following his instructions, Bill slowly ran his wand over the bricks. One of the bricks had the same stylized S that had been on the locket. Sirius trained his wand on the brick to provide light while Bill carefully removed the brick. Behind the brick they found a small box that was quickly removed. Bill opened the lid of the box and revealed the ring they had sought.

To the other men's surprise, Dumbledore immediately reached for the ring. Remus knocked his arm away before he could touch the ring. That action seemed to bring Dumbledore to his senses.

"What the hell?" Bill hissed at him as he closed the box. "Why in Merlin's name would you try to touch that thing?"

"I don't know," Dumbledore said a bit shakily. "I felt as though I was compelled to put on the ring. It was a rather overwhelming feeling."

"I'm not surprised," Bill said. "Many Horcruxes have some sort of protection around them. We need to destroy this as soon as possible."

"I agree," Dumbledore replied, still sounding a bit shaken.

Remus replaced the brick and the four men left the rundown shack, removing all evidence of their being there. Once they were back in the cool night air, everyone seemed a bit more relaxed. They walked back down the dirt track, through the thick weeds and woods, until they ended up on the road.

Sirius looked down the road towards the village. From their vantage point, the entire village was laid out in front of them. The once grand Riddle house was almost exactly opposite from where they were standing, but it was the graveyard that caught his attention.

"I want to go down there," Sirius said.

The men agreed a bit uneasily to accompany him to the graveyard. The walk into town was completely silent. It was a cold night with a bit of a wind. The three quarter moon provided plenty of light as they skirted around the town proper to arrive at the graveyard.

Dumbledore pushed the tall black gate open and the other men followed him inside. The graveyard appeared to be quite old, some of the graves dated back to the 15th century. None of the men knew exactly where they were going, but they were all drawn towards a spot in the south-eastern corner of the graveyard.

Sirius' breath caught in his throat when he saw the statuary Harry had described so clearly over a year earlier. He led the way over to the grave – it was the grave of Tom Riddle Senior. Sirius felt sick to his stomach.

There was evidence of a fire in front of the grave. Sirius swallowed hard as he gazed at the site where Voldemort had been reborn. He walked around the area and some of the graves showed evidence of spell damage. While the shadows cast by the graves and statuary were creepy enough, he could only imagine the terror his godson must have felt facing the monster who killed his parents.

He jumped slightly when Remus clapped his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Let's go, my friend. There is nothing good here."

Sirius nodded and they Disapparated back to the gates of Hogwarts. Dumbledore opened the gates with a wave of his wand and the other men accompanied him back to his office. They watched in silence as he used the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy the Horcrux. An otherworldly scream sounded as black smoke streamed from the stone. It joined the diary and locket in a locked drawer in Dumbledore's office.

"Thank you gentlemen," Dumbledore said. "I did investigate the cave Mr Black indicated. There is replica of the locket as described. Given Mr Black's description of the fluid surrounding it, I chose to leave the fake locket there."

"Do you have any thoughts on the locations for the other Horcruxes?" Remus asked as he accepted a glass of mead from the Headmaster.

"Not as of yet," Dumbledore replied. "I believe he may have hidden one of the Horcruxes here in the castle. Tom applied for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job some years ago."

"Do you have any idea where?" Remus asked.

"Not as of yet," Dumbledore replied.

* * *

Harry smiled over at Ginny as she finished stirring her potion. Her hair had been haphazardly piled on top of her head and a few tendrils were escaping. She was concentrating on the last few steps of her healing potion. The potion Harry had made was not quite as complicated, so he finished before her. He decided to spend the remaining time just admiring his girlfriend.

"Stop it, Harry," she admonished with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's distracting me."

Harry watched her work for another minute. "I don't think it's really distracting you, because you are doing really well with your potion."

She laughed and he grinned. He loved her laugh and it made him feel good especially when he knew he was the cause.

Carefully she ladled the potion into the waiting vials before taking the cauldron to the sink. Squirting soap into the cauldron she cleaned it. The potion she had been making was known to change the nature of the cauldron if it cooled too much while in a copper cauldron.

Harry wiped it off for her and set it to dry with his cauldron that he'd already cleaned. Once her hands were free, he pulled her over to him and kissed her deeply. He wrapped his arms around her and, with one hand, he pulled out the clip holding up her hair. He loved her hair. Even if it was the wrong colour, it was still silky soft in his hands. His other hand edged under the hem of her shirt, gently caressing the skin at the base of her spine.

Pulling away slightly, Harry kissed under her ear and down her neck. Ginny moaned softly, a sound that sent chills down his spine. She ran her hands up his chest and under his shirt. The feel of her hands on his bare skin was intoxicating. Boldly he slid his hand around to her flat stomach and slowly inched his hand upward.

The sound of an owl screeching broke them apart. Harry turned away from Ginny slightly, trying to get his reactions to her under control. Ginny took a deep breath and pulled down her shirt before opening the window and letting the impatient owl into the kitchen. The owl haughtily extended its leg for Ginny to take the scroll. It was addressed to Carys so Ginny set it on the counter and gave the owl a treat.

She turned to look at her boyfriend whom she found was adorably mussed up. His hair was a ruffled mess and his lips were a bit swollen. He straightened his shirt and gave her a lop-sided smile. "Sorry if I got a bit out of hand."

He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him. "I was feeling a bit out of hand myself, don't worry about it."

Taking his hand, she led him over to the large butcher block table. "We should probably get to work on Runes."

He sighed. "You are probably right." He stole another kiss before opening his copy of _Ancient Runes Made Easy_. He'd found that he actually enjoyed Ancient Runes and rather wished that he'd taken it in school. It was certainly better than Divination and hearing how he was going to die.

He was still learning how to read Runes and a little about the cultures that used Runes. Ginny had been taking Ancient Runes for almost two years and Carys had given her workbooks with Runes she needed to translate. The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon working on Runes. Harry felt he was really getting the hang of them and was happy with his progress. He couldn't believe how just working on Magical subjects made him feel more connected with the Magical world.

Carys returned home to find Harry and Ginny already making a stew for dinner. "Hello, dears, how was your day?"

She looked over the potions they had prepared that day. "Excellent, you are really improving in your potion making skills."

Harry blushed slightly. "Thank you. Once Ginny mentioned that it was more like cooking and that really made sense to me."

"Very good," she said with a proud smile at Ginny. "That Potions Master at Hogwarts..." she shook her head. "He is a big part of the reason I chose not to send my son to Hogwarts."

"What?" Harry looked surprised. "I didn't know that."

Carys nodded, "I think that is why Kristine sent you here. I educated my son at home. Part of it was because I wasn't too sure about sending my eleven year old son away for ten months out of the year." She shrugged. "I know it's a grand tradition and all, but I wasn't quite ready for it. I went to Hogwarts to talk to the teachers and I was quite frankly appalled by the Potions Master. He was very young and very arrogant. I watched a class and he was rude and dismissive to the students. Watching a ghost drone on and on about goblin wars was extremely depressing. There are so many important events in Magical history and as far as I could tell, none of them were being taught. When I brought this up to the Headmaster, I didn't feel he was very receptive to my concerns. Between the two of them, I chose to educate my son at home."

"I can imagine," Harry said. "Snape hated my father while they were at school and as a result he hates me. I've learned so much more in the past couple of weeks with you. I never understood why it makes a difference how many times you stir something or what order you add the ingredients in. It just makes more sense now."

"I'm glad," Carys replied. She handed Harry a stack of owl-order catalogues. "This is from Flourish and Blotts. I thought you could order new school books. These other catalogues are from other stores on Diagon Alley."

Harry looked a bit confused. "How can I order from catalogues if everyone is looking for me?"

Carys laughed. "Have everything sent here to me, but use your vault number. The merchants won't know who is paying and Gringotts doesn't release the purchaser's name."

"Remember, that's how Sirius was able to buy your Firebolt," Ginny said.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that," Harry said. He looked back at Carys. "So they won't be able to trace it back to me and find out where we are?"

She shook her head. "The goblins don't give out information on clients. They will send the funds to the merchants and the merchants will send whatever you've purchased here."

Harry took the proffered catalogues and he and Ginny quickly flipped through the Flourish & Blotts catalogue. On Carys' advice, they purchased the _Standard Book of Spells Grade 6 & 7_, _Intermediate and Advanced Transfiguration, Advanced Potion Making_, and several Rune dictionaries. Pulling his Gringott's key from his pocket, Harry pressed it in the box indicated on the order form. It glowed for a moment and when Harry lifted the key he found strange writing in the box.

"That's Gobbledegook," Carys explained.

Later that night, Harry and Ginny were looking through the other catalogues. Harry kept coming back to the Quidditch catalogues.

"Gin, what do you think about getting brooms?" he finally asked. "I just hate that we don't have any way of getting around on our own. If there is an attack or anything, we won't be able to get away without help. If we had brooms, we would have our own transportation."

"Aren't they really expensive?" Ginny asked doubtfully.

"They can be," Harry agreed, "but look at these. We can get a Nimbus 2000 for only 100 Galleons. It's not as good as a Firebolt, but it's still a good broom." He read a little further. "Look, we can get two for 150 Galleons."

Ginny's jaw dropped, "150 Galleons. Harry, that's a lot of money."

He shrugged, "I have plenty of money. Tonks said I have well over 5000 Galleons in my vault so I can afford it." He looked over at her with his eyes pleading. "I think it's really important, Ginny. It's only money and what good is it doing me if I can't use it to protect us?"

His bright green eyes demolished her resolve. "Okay, but I don't want you spending gobs of money."

He grinned at her and leaned over to kiss her softly. "Thanks, Gin. I would hate if something happened to you that could have been easily prevented just by spending a little money."

She shook her head at his characterizations of a little money, but her heart beat a little faster at the expression in his eyes. The fact that she meant so much to him was both exciting and humbling at the same time. She returned his kiss.

* * *

Amelia Bones accompanied Kingsley to Hogwarts on a very cold, snowy evening towards the end of November. She had decided to accompany him as he questioned Dumbledore and Severus Snape. They had also brought an official scribe. On Kingsley's recommendation she brought Hestia Jones.

They met in Professor Dumbledore's office. As Madam Bones had requested, Professor McGonagall was also present. Professor Dumbledore greeted them genially enough. He had set up five chairs across from his desk. Professor McGonagall nodded in greeting as they sat down. Professor Snape was already seated in the far chair glowering.

"Madam Bones, welcome to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Thank you," she replied. "However, as you know, this is not a social call. I am here to investigate the events of May 25, 1996."

Dumbledore straightened a bit. He obviously didn't like her turning this into an official visit, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

She turned to Professor McGonagall. "You were still Deputy Headmistress of the school at that time, correct?"

Professor McGonagall agreed and Madam Bones continued. "Did Professor Umbridge give you any indication of her plan to expel Potter and Weasley?"

"No, she did not," the Transfiguration Professor replied promptly. Her irritation at the thought was obvious. "I did not hear anything until she announced to the entire school they had been expelled for Dark Arts."

Madam Bones turned her attention to Professor Snape. "Professor, I understand that a majority of the Inquisitorial Squad came from your house."

"Yes," he replied with a touch of insolence in his voice.

"Do you have any insight into what transpired that afternoon?" she asked sharply.

"I know that Potter was caught talking to the snakes Hagrid was keeping. Mr Malfoy heard Miss Weasley telling Potter that she had understood something the snakes were saying and she wanted him to talk to them. Mr Malfoy was concerned and he reported the incident to Professor Umbridge."

Madame Bones heard Professor McGonagall snort at the thought of Malfoy being concerned. She suppressed a smile. "Do you know what happened next?"

"Potter refused to surrender his wand to the Headmistress and engaged in a fight with the members of the Inquisitorial Squad who had accompanied her. The Inquisitorial Squad chased them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest where they lost them."

"Were any members of the Inquisitorial Squad injured in the exchange?" Kingsley asked.

"No," Snape replied reluctantly.

"You are aware that bloody robes were found in the so-called Shrieking Shack, are you not?"

"I am," Snape replied. "Potter had been running through the forest, I imagine he could have been injured in that endeavour."

"Nothing in the forest would have been able to hit him with a Cutting Curse in the back," Kingsley replied scornfully.

"Did you question the members of your house who participated in this rather poorly executed attempt to capture Potter?"

Snape's nostrils flared at the slight on his house. He poured contempt into his response. "I did inquire. They were all acting at the behest of the acting Headmistress of the school in attempting to capture students who had been expelled."

Kingsley barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Madam Bones glared at the Potions Master. "Professor Snape, may I remind you that you are a known Death Eater? Professor Dumbledore may have vouched for you and your reputed change of heart, but if I find evidence that you are withholding information from an official investigation I will not hesitate in declaring your deal null and void."

"I don't believe that will be necessary," Professor Dumbledore said soothingly. "Severus has been acting as a spy for us since the first war. To act against him would be a huge blow to the anti-Voldemort movement."

"I realize you believe that, Professor," Madam Bones replied sharply. "However, I do not have any confidence in Professor Snape. He appears to have taken his second chance as a licence to act as he sees fit without regard for the students. I have heard how he treats the non-Slytherin students in his classes and I have seen first-hand how ill-prepared in Potions recent Hogwarts graduates have become. He is insolent and a bully, the scant amount of actual intelligence he supplies does not excuse his behaviour."

She watched in satisfaction as Snape exchanged a startled glance with his mentor. They both looked concerned.

She continued. "Was Madam Umbridge in the habit of walking the grounds at night?"

"Not that I am aware," Professor Dumbledore replied evenly.

"So it stands to reason that someone must have visited her and she either accompanied them of her own free will or she was coerced into accompanying them. Who had access to the castle that night?"

Professor Dumbledore replied, "The gates did not open that night until I arrived after Professor Umbridge's murder. There are six Floos connected to the outside Floo network – one in the Infirmary, one in the Headmaster's office, and each Head of House has an external Floo. None of them were used that evening." He handed over five books to the Head Auror. "These are the logs of those Floos. My office was sealed and no one had access to it."

"There are no other Floos connected to the external network?" Madam Bones asked sceptically.

Professor Snape cleared his throat. "The Floo in the Slytherin Common Room is connected to the outside network."

"What?" Professor McGonagall looked outraged while Professor Dumbledore looked not only stunned, but disappointed as well.

"It has been that way since I was in school," Professor Snape replied with none of his earlier arrogance. "I don't know who changed it or when, although I have my suspicions. I did not realize that the Headmaster was unaware of the connection, as I said it's been this way for a very long time."

"Is there a log book for the Floo?" Dumbledore asked.

Reluctantly Professor Snape nodded. Dumbledore called for a house elf and instructed them to retrieve the log.

"How do these log books work?" Madam Bones asked.

"They are not maintained by a person," Professor Dumbledore explained. "They are maintained by the magic of the school. Once the Floo is activated the log books are automatically activated. They record who activated the Floo, how it was used – for a call or for travel, who comes through the Floo and, if they leave, where they go."

Madam Bones nodded as she looked over the book from the Infirmary. It detailed calls to St Mungo's as well as travel to Hogsmeade and London. Flipping through all of the books she confirmed that on the night of May 25, no one had arrived through any of the Floos.

The elf returned with the book and handed it to Professor Dumbledore. Madam Bones held out her hand imperiously and he reluctantly handed it over. She glared at Professor Snape. "Have you looked at this?"

He shook his head.

Setting the book on the desk, she opened it and flipped backwards to the date in question. It showed considerable activity.

"Can anyone use the Floo?" she asked.

"It is decided by the students," Snape replied a bit uncomfortably. "They need to provide their own Floo powder and it is usually regulated by the older students."

The names appearing most frequently in the book were names she recognized – Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson, , and Zabini. When she arrived at the date of May 25, she read aloud.

"3:25pm Floo call by Draco Malfoy to Malfoy Manor. 5:00pm Floo call received from Malfoy Manor. 6:18pm Floo call received from the Ministry of Magic. 7:23pm Floo call by Draco Malfoy to Malfoy Manor. 10:02pm Lucius Malfoy and Tom Riddle arrive by Floo. 10:25pm Lucius Malfoy and Tom Riddle leave via Floo to return to Malfoy Manor."

She looked up to see Dumbledore's face lose all colour. "Merlin, he was really here."

Professor Dumbledore turned to the younger man. "Did you know that he was here?"

Snape hesitated in answering and a strong wave of magic flowed through the room as Dumbledore stood and looked down at the younger man. "I knew the Dark Lord was here that night."

"You did not feel that was important to share with me?" Professor Dumbledore asked quietly, disappointment evident in his tone.

"I was not consulted until after you had declared Potter the most likely suspect. I thought you **wanted** him to be the suspect. No one asked if I had seen the Dark Lord or anyone else, so I didn't volunteer that information." Snape defended himself.

"You thought I wanted him to be a suspect?"

"All year you have treated him coolly," Snape said. "I told you what I'd discovered during the Occlumency lessons and you didn't take the opportunity to talk to him about the dreams he was having and you didn't want to teach him yourself. You had distanced yourself from him and his problems. No one asked me what I may have heard or seen, the only questions I had been asked were about the Inquisitorial Squad. No Aurors questioned me; don't make this out to be my fault. I thought you would ask me about the Dark Lord, when you didn't I thought it was deliberate."

Dumbledore looked shocked. "I never meant…I would have been thrilled to hear Harry had not killed Professor Umbridge. I truly thought Voldemort might be controlling him. That is why I distanced myself from him."

Madam Bones cleared her throat. "Why? I've heard how you were concerned that he was being controlled, but I don't understand why."

Dumbledore looked around the room and seemed to come to some sort of decision. "When Voldemort first attacked Harry, obviously something went wrong. Lily's sacrifice provided a shield of sorts for Harry and saved his life. In addition to the curse, I believe that Harry also gained some of Voldemort's powers – his ability to speak Parseltongue and Harry can see into Voldemort's thoughts at times. He wrote to his godfather last summer to say he heard Voldemort conspiring with Wormtail and another man, later thought to be Barty Crouch Jr."

"That is how he saw Arthur's attack," Professor McGonagall said in surprise. "Did you explain that to him?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "I was afraid that Voldemort had become aware of the connection and might use Harry to gain information about us. That is why I believed him capable of controlling Harry long enough to kill Professor Umbridge."

Madam Bones turned to Snape. "What about the Knight Bus?"

Snape swallowed heavily, but replied, "I believe that was Bellatrix Lestrange, though I don't know for certain. The Dark Lord doesn't share his plans with everyone. From what I have been able to piece together, Draco told his father what happened with Potter. Lucius of course informed the Dark Lord and accompanied him here to Hogwarts. The Dark Lord spoke to the serpents and discovered what happened."

He looked at the Headmaster. "Dark Magic was used, as Lucius laughed about Umbridge under the Cruciatus. I presume that the Dark Lord set the snakes on Umbridge. Bellatrix mentioned sometimes about the blood on the Knight Bus, so from that I gather she was there."

"Damn," Kingsley swore. "So all this time we could have simply proven Harry was innocent?" He glared at his fellow Order member. "I can't believe you didn't say anything. I thought they were all exaggerating how badly you treat Harry, now I see it's all true."

"As I've explained to Kingsley, the sticking point is the expulsion order," Madam Bones said. "Minister Scrimgeour has refused to reverse it, so at this point in time, even if we can prove he didn't kill anyone, he would still be required to turn over his wand. That, I believe, is what he was trying to prevent in the first place."

"I trust that the news that they had nothing to do with the killings will be made public," Professor McGonagall said frostily.

Madam Bones nodded. "I will meet with the Weasleys and Mr Black first and then I will make it public."

* * *

Hedwig squawked as Sirius threw a vase against the wall. That brought him out of his rage. "I'm sorry, girl."

The owl looked over at him. She flew over to him and nipped him on the ear before returning to her perch.

Bill knocked on the door. "I assume that means you've heard."

Sirius nodded bitterly. "I am going to kill Snape the next time I see him. All this time he knew Harry was innocent and didn't bother to say anything. I don't buy this whole he thought that's what Dumbledore wanted. He's always been a miserable, slimy Death Eater. He saw a way to get Harry in trouble and he took it."

"I think so too," Bill said as he dropped into the leather arm chair he liked. He looked around the study, most everything was boxed up. "It looks like you're ready to go."

Sirius nodded. "I don't want to spend another Christmas in this hell hole if I can avoid it. The team I hired has finished taking out the electrical systems and installing the cold pantry and hob. They will have it hooked up to the Floo network tomorrow."

"That's great," Bill said. "I don't know what I'm going to do for Christmas. I suppose I will end up at my parents', but I want to spend time with Fleur as well. She and my mum don't get on too well."

"Does anyone get on well with your mum?" Sirius asked snidely. "I'm sorry, that wasn't nice. I know your mum is really a generous lady with a big heart, but we've just never gotten on well. She doesn't think I'm a fit guardian for Harry and doesn't lose any opportunity to tell me so. She's been so…beastly over this whole thing. This whole time, she's always blamed Harry."

"I know," Bill sighed. "She feels badly about that if that helps at all. That's the way she is though, she tends to get fired up easily and she believed Dumbledore. Once the reporters got a hold of the story, they really played up the Weasleys against Potter angle. Even when she believed that Harry might have been under Voldemort's control, she felt badly that it was in the papers. She honestly never meant for that to get out. She's not used to being of interest to the press, so she didn't guard what she was saying. The fact that it was Ginny made it even worse; she's always kind of babied Ginny a bit more than the rest of us."

Sirius nodded. "I just hate that between your mum and Dumbledore, they drove Harry away. I have no idea where he is or what he's doing."

"Have you gotten the information on Harry's account yet?" Bill asked changing the topic.

"He took 600 Galleons from his account last December. There have been no other withdrawals since then. With everything he bought for Christmas, Remus thinks he didn't spend more than 60 Galleons. The most expensive thing he bought was the necklace for your sister," Sirius said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"She loved that," Bill said with a smile. "She showed me the necklace and the note he gave her with it. I'm glad that if they have to be out there at least they are together."

Sirius laughed. "That is true. They look very happy together."

"You want some help moving?" Bill asked. "Fleur and I have the weekend off, we can help you."

"Sure," Sirius said. "I bet David and Deena would love to meet you."

* * *

Carys hurried from her antique shop back to her house clutching a copy of the _Daily Prophet._ She let herself in the door and called out to the kids. Making her way to the kitchen, she could smell the biscuits baking. Harry had told her he wanted to make Christmas biscuits today and she had agreed they deserved a day off. They'd been working so hard over the past month.

"Hello," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Hello," they chorused. Carys smiled at the couple. There were stacks of biscuits on the counter and Carys could smell apple cider simmering on the stove top.

"It smells wonderful in here," she said.

"Thanks," Harry said happily as he brushed some flour off of Ginny's cheek. "We've been having a lot of fun."

"I have some excellent news for you," Carys said as she handed them the paper.

Harry gasped as he took the paper the headlines read 'Potter and Weasley cleared in Killings.' He sank down at the table with Ginny beside him. Together they read through the articles.

After a few minutes Ginny looked up at Carys. "So does this mean we can go home?"

"I'm afraid not, dear," Carys said sadly. "The Minister and Wizengamot have still upheld your expulsion. If you are captured, your wands will be snapped. While you will not go to prison, you would not be able to protect yourselves. I read the interview with Sirius Black and he strongly advised against you contacting anyone at this point in time."

Carys' heart went out to the young girl as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, my dear."

As she watched, Ginny broke down completely. Harry immediately dropped the paper and pulled the girl into his arms.

"I'll be back," Carys said softly to Harry.

He nodded and she quickly turned off the heat under the cider before heading back to the shop. Her heart was heavy as she left; she had hoped this would be good news.

* * *

Harry rocked Ginny in his arms, running his hand down her back. He honestly wasn't sure what to say to her, because he had hoped they could go home as well. When he felt her calming down, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the sitting room. Sitting down on the couch, he wrapped her in his arms.

She buried her face in his neck and he was content to hold her in his arms. After a time, she pulled back and looked at him. His heart went out to her, her eyes were red and a bit puffy. Digging in his pocket, he handed her his handkerchief.

"I'm so sorry, Baby. I wish we could go home for Christmas."

She smiled wanly, "I know. I just…I got so excited when I saw the headlines and I thought we could go back to my parent's house for Christmas. I've never spent Christmas without my family before." She wiped her eyes. "Even in my third year, I was with my brothers even if I was at Hogwarts."

"I know," Harry said softly. "I wish we could go home. I want to see Sirius and your family. I miss everyone."

"You never said anything," Ginny said.

He shrugged. "I didn't want to make you feel badly. I know you miss everyone, I saw how sad you were on Bill and Charlie's birthdays."

She shook her head. "I thought I was hiding it a bit better."

"I don't want you to hide it from me," Harry said. "I want to know how you're feeling. If you're upset, I want to know. Maybe I can't always make you feel better, but I can try."

She smiled at him as she leaned over and kissed him softly. "Thank you, Harry. You do always make me feel better."

Reaching over he wiped the traces of tears off her face. "I know it won't be as good as a Weasley Christmas, but we can have a good Christmas together, right?"

"Right," she said. "We can have a wonderful Christmas together and worry about the rest afterwards."

He leaned in and kissed her passionately. They spent the afternoon talking and laughing. He listened enthralled as she told him about Christmases when she was little. He didn't really have anything happy to share, but he did tell her about his Christmases with the Dursleys. She rewarded his openness with lots of kisses, so he thought maybe sharing his past wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

Christmas morning, Ginny woke up early. Her thoughts flashed to Ron. She smiled as she remembered his exuberance from the year before. He was always so excited about Christmas. She still remembered the letter he'd sent home his first year telling them all about his new best mate, Harry Potter, and how his best mate didn't seem to expect any Christmas presents. Ginny remembered her ten-year old little heart breaking at the thought of not expecting Christmas presents.

She and her mother had gotten right to work on his presents…okay it was more her mum, but she'd picked out the yarn and decided to send the fudge. A week and a half after Christmas, a beautiful white owl flew into the kitchen window. Ginny remembered how beautiful and regal that owl looked. The letter carried by the owl was a shy and rather stammering thank you letter from Harry.

A noise across the hall made her realize that Harry must be awake as well. They had agreed to all open their presents together so there were no presents at the foot of her bed. A knock sounded on her door.

Harry pushed the door open and smiled when he saw she was awake. "Happy Christmas, Ginny!"

"Happy Christmas!" she responded as he came over to the bed and hugged her. He sat down next to her keeping one arm wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned into him, enjoying his warmth.

"I don't think Carys is awake yet," Harry said.

"Me neither," Ginny replied.

"Do you want to go make some breakfast?" Harry asked. "We could do a traditional fry up with some of that raisin bread you liked for toast."

"Sure," she replied. Cooking with Harry was always so much more fun than cooking with her mother.

Pulling on her dressing gown, she followed Harry down to the kitchen. On Christmas Eve, Harry and Ginny had spent a wonderful evening together while Carys went to her son's traditional Christmas Eve dinner. It had been a fun, and to Ginny's surprise, rather romantic evening.

She pulled the eggs, bacon, and sausage from the cold pantry while Harry retrieved the pots and pans. While Harry fried up the bacon and sausage, Ginny fried the eggs and sliced the luscious raisin bread Carys' daughter-in-law had sent over. Harry reached up in the cupboards to pull down the platters upon which he placed the cooked food.

"This looks amazing," Carys said as she entered the kitchen. "The delicious smell of bacon frying is a wonderful way to wake up."

"I agree," Ginny said. "On cold winter mornings, the smell of bacon was one of the few things that could tempt me out from under my blankets."

The three of them sat down for a lovely Christmas breakfast. Carys was full of news from her son's house. He lived not too far from them and he also worked in the antique business. He and his wife owned an auction house from which Carys bought many of her pieces. Harry and Ginny had not met them, but had heard all about them.

After breakfast, they retired to the sitting room. Carys loved Christmas and she had two trees – one in the sitting room and another smaller tree in the upstairs front window. She'd decorated the house in greenery and red ribbons with several sprigs of Mistletoe scattered throughout the house.

Under the large Christmas tree sat several brightly wrapped packages. Ginny laughed when she'd seen Carys use a spell to keep her cats out of the presents. Her mum used that spell to keep Ron out of the freshly baked Christmas cakes.

Harry and Ginny sat down cross legged on the floor while Carys relaxed in her favourite chair with a cup of fragrant orange and cinnamon tea. Pulling out her wand, Carys sent everyone's presents to them. Carys bought a nice leather jacket for Harry and had given Ginny a beautifully carved music box from her store. Harry and Ginny had bought her a collection of mystery novels she'd mentioned she wanted.

Harry looked over at Ginny. She smiled. "Go ahead."

He ripped open the brightly coloured paper to find an embroidered pillow. It depicted a family crest with a black and white shield topped by a knight's helmet with ornate white and red feathers flowing around the shield. At the top was an embroidered red griffin holding in his claws a ribbon with the words '_Fortes fortuna iuvat' _and the bottom had the words 'The Potters.'

"It's your family crest," Ginny explained. "Carys helped me find a picture of the crest and the motto. It means 'Fortune favors the Brave.'"

"You made this?" Harry asked in amazement as he traced the intricate needle work.

Ginny nodded. Harry leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you, it's brilliant. I love it."

She smiled, looking a bit relieved. She looked down at the box with her name.

"Open it," Harry said.

Pulling on the ribbon, she ripped off the wrapping paper. It was a relatively flat box. Ginny opened it to find a beautiful green velvet dress.

"Harry," she gasped. "This is gorgeous." She lifted the dress out of the box and held it up against her. The dress was fitted with a scooped neckline with a skirt that fell just below her knees. A discrete glance at the tag showed her it was indeed her size.

He blushed, but seemed very pleased that she liked it. "You look so pretty in dresses and I thought it would look good on you."

"Thank you." She kissed him. Carys had quietly left the room while the young couple exchanged presents so she poured all of her love for him into the kiss. It was quite some time later when they broke apart.

They ended up with her sitting on his lap while he was leaning up against the couch. He brushed her hair back behind her ear and dropped another short kiss on her lips. A love bite was darkening on her neck.

"Gin, I've been thinking a lot about us. You make me so happy and this has really made the whole adventure so much better. Last Christmas when you…snapped me out of my brooding and you've been the best friend I could ever ask for…well, more than a best friend really…it's taken me a while to know what I was feeling because I really didn't know and I really wasn't sure…" he trailed off. "I'm rambling aren't I?"

Ginny nodded with a loving smile on her face. He grinned at her. "What I'm trying to tell you is that I love you."

He watched her anxiously and felt a bit of trepidation when her eyes grew really bright. She leaned over and kissed him softly. "I love you too. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to scare you or make you feel like you had to say it back to me."

He smiled his happiness lighting up his face. Gently he cupped her face with both hands and kissed her gently at first, but slowly more passionately. After a time he pulled away. "Thank you, Ginny. I love you so much and you have made me so happy."


	8. Chapter 8 Afan Valley

**A/N: Thanks to my wonderful beta StephanieO! Sorry for the delay, you will be happy to know the next chapter won't take so long. I realize that Neville wasn't in NEWT level Potions, but he is in my story :)**_**  
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* * *

_**January 21, 1997 – April 3, 1997**_

"Picture very clearly in your mind where you want to end up. Once you have that picture firmly in your head, you will be ready to try," Carys said soothingly. She watched the two teens and when she sensed they were ready she said, "Okay, go."

Harry followed her instructions and to his delight, he felt himself…almost flicker. It felt like he was there one moment and not the next. Opening his eyes, he found he had indeed moved, but he wasn't exactly where he'd planned to go. They were aiming for the entrance to the stable block about 500 meters away. Harry had managed for the first time to move, but he was only about half the distance he'd hoped to travel.

An excited cheer drew his attention. His jaw dropped when he saw Ginny at their goal. How had she managed it? He felt a burst of pride in his girlfriend and found to his surprise, he really wasn't upset that she'd managed it before him. He jogged the remaining distance between them.

"Ginny that was brilliant!" He laughed as she danced around happily.

"I really did it," she exclaimed. "I can't believe it. I'm only fifteen years old and I just Apparated."

"Congratulations, Ginny," Carys said as she joined them. "That was very well done." She turned to Harry. "You did well; you just fell short of your goal. Usually that means that you didn't stay fixed on your destination, but that is still a big accomplishment. You two have done so well. Only three weeks of lessons and you have both Apparated. I'm very proud of both of you."

The teens exchanged shy smiles and they thanked Carys. She laughed, "No worries, I truly enjoy teaching. Let's get inside though; it's rather cold out here. Why don't you see if you can Apparate to the front door?"

Harry obediently closed his eyes and to his amazement this time he found himself at the front door. Seconds later he was knocked over when Ginny Apparated right next to him. Laughing, he helped her up. "I guess we need to work on how to land next to each other."

Together they entered Carys' country home. It was a converted old barn on almost ten acres of land. It had been in her husband's family for generations and he had fixed it up shortly after he and Carys were married. Her husband, Cade, had farmed the land for many years, but had died in a farming accident. His tractor had overturned trapping him underneath and the weight of the tractor had killed him. Carys believed that he'd hit his head when the tractor flipped, rendering him unconscious and unable to use his magic to help him. For Harry it was a rather sobering reminder that magic didn't fix everything.

After hanging their cloaks in the cupboard, Harry followed his girlfriend through the formal hall into the kitchen. It was dominated by a large stone fireplace complete with large cooking cauldron. Apple cider simmered on the large red Aga stove filling the kitchen with delicious smells. Ginny reached up into the cabinet to grab three mugs and carefully ladled hot apple cider into each cup and added a cinnamon stick before bringing them to the table. Harry grabbed a plate of biscuits that had been kept warm under a warming charm.

"I see you both made it to your destination that time," Carys said approvingly as she entered the kitchen and joined them at the large butcher block table. She cupped the warm mug in her hands to warm them.

"I still can't believe I did it," Ginny said. "My brothers always made it sound so hard. My brother, Charlie didn't even pass his test the first time."

Carys smiled warmly at the young girl. "You might be a bit more disciplined than them, dear. I think learning in such a small group helps."

"I think so," Ginny replied. "I can't believe how much I've learned in just over a month. I think my Charms and Transfiguration have really improved."

Carys nodded. "Both of you are doing very well. I think it is the concentrated focus on spells. I don't have to wait for an entire class to learn the spell and I can assign writing based on the topics you need improvement upon rather than general topics such as one would do with a larger class. Both of you have been working so hard and preparing for lessons, I can't tell you how much that pleases me."

Harry blushed as he smiled shyly. It was always hard for him to hear someone praise him. He didn't know if it was a hold-over from the way he was raised or not, but he always felt a bit unworthy of praise. Ginny reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently. He sent a lopsided grin over to her.

"Why don't the two of you take a break for a while? After lunch, Ginny, we'll work on Vanishing Charms and Harry, we'll keep working on animal transformations."

* * *

Hermione looked up as Ron entered the Common Room. He looked a bit harried and upset. Upon seeing her, he headed over to the couch and sat down next to her.

"How's Susan?" Hermione asked. Seeing Susan get splinched in their first Apparating lesson had rather lessened her enthusiasm for learning to Apparate.

Ron shrugged. "She's okay, but now she's a bit nervous to try it again. Can't say that I blame her - that was awful. Madam Pomfrey says she won't have a scar or anything, but she treated the leg with something and gave her a Calming Draught."

Hermione shivered. "I'd read about splinching, but that did not prepare me for seeing it."

"The twins make it look so easy," Ron said. "I thought at least someone would get it."

"It is a twelve week course, I guess we can't expect it to be too easy," Hermione replied.

Ron nodded absently as he stared into the fire. He roused after a few minutes and looked over at Hermione. "Have you started the essay on Inferi that Professor Bennett set?"

Hermione looked over at him with a small smile. "What do you think?"

He started laughing, "I guess that was a stupid question. Can you help me?"

"Of course," Hermione said. "Go get your things and we can work on it together. I'm still not satisfied with my essay."

A few minutes later Ron joined Hermione at the table on the far side of the Common Room. "Neville's coming down as well."

"Okay," Hermione said as she pulled her essay and books out of her bag. Ron set his parchment and books on the table as well and the two started comparing notes on Inferi.

"They sound just horrid," Hermione said.

"That's why he uses them," Neville said as he joined them at the table. "Can you imagine being attacked by the animated corpses of your loved ones?

Hermione shuddered. "That is such an awful thought. Has You-Know-Who used them in that way?"

"My Gran said he did during the last war," Neville said. "Her nephew was turned into an Inferius and attacked his parents. They died because they couldn't bring themselves to attack him."

Hermione gasped. "My God, that's…I can't even think of a word to describe it."

"I know," Neville replied. "I used to have nightmares about that. I imagined my parents attacking me. I mean I know my parents aren't dead and couldn't be turned into Inferi, but dreams don't always make a lot of sense."

"I used to have nightmares about Inferi too," Ron put in. "My brothers told me about them and you can imagine they made it seem as though Inferi were very common and likely to pop up at any time."

Neville laughed. "I can only imagine."

The three worked steadily for the next two hours before Ron shut his book. "I think this is as good as it will get."

Hermione read over his essay and made a few corrections. As he made the suggested corrections, Hermione asked Neville, "What do you think of Professor Bennett?"

"He's actually pretty good," Neville said. "It's a nice change from the last few years. He's almost as good as Professor Lupin."

"I'm just glad he's fair," Ron put in. "Last year between Umbridge and Snape, no one but the Slytherins earned any points in class."

"Professor Snape," Hermione corrected automatically. "Professor Bennett is a good teacher. I really enjoy his lectures."

"I like the fact that he makes things easier to understand," Neville said. "He can really break things down…kind of like Harry did." He sighed. "I really miss him."

Hermione nodded and Ron set his quill down. "Me too," Ron said softly. "Christmas was bloody awful this year. My mum cried most of Christmas Day and there was nothing me or my brothers could do to make her feel better. She made both of them Christmas jumpers and they sat there under the tree until my dad put them away. I've never seen her so upset."

"That's rough," Neville said sympathetically.

Ron looked around the Common Room and lowered his voice before continuing. "Bill and my mum got into a big fight on Boxing Day. He brought Fleur over and my mum doesn't really like Fleur very much. Then he announced that he and Fleur were going over to Sirius' new house. My mum hit the roof. She doesn't think Sirius is a good influence and she doesn't like Sirius and Bill's friendship."

"What's she got against Sirius?" Neville asked.

Ron shrugged. "I think it all goes back to when he was arrested. She figures he wouldn't have been accused for no reason. A 'there wouldn't be smoke if there was no dragon' kind of thing. She's never trusted him and she thinks he's really irresponsible. One of the few times I've seen Remus angry was when my mum said she thought Remus should have been Harry's godfather, not Sirius. He lit into her – started going on about how much Sirius loves Harry and how good he is for him. It was a while before Remus and my mum started talking again."

Hermione shrugged, "I have to say, I thought the same thing. I figured they made Sirius the godfather because Remus was a werewolf and they probably didn't think Sirius would have to do anything."

"Harry's parents knew there was a good chance they might not make it," Neville protested. "My gran thinks quite highly of Sirius. He may have been a prankster in school, but he stood up for his beliefs and turned his back on his family's dark beliefs. He was also a really good student, he won the Charms and Astronomy awards his seventh year."

"What?" Hermione looked shocked. "I didn't think they were very good students."

"The seventh year awards are listed on the plaques in the trophy room," Neville explained. "They are awarded to the top students of the year. In 1978, Sirius Black won Charms and Astronomy, James Potter won Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, and Lily Potter won Potions and Arithmancy." He smiled at the surprised looks on his friends faces. "I had to clean them for detention one night. You should go look."

"I can't believe it," Hermione said. "I thought Professor Lupin would have been the top student. I kind of assumed Sirius and James were just pranksters."

"Mr Potter was Head Boy," Neville reminded her. "I can't imagine he would have been made Head Boy if he didn't do anything."

"I guess that's true," Hermione said slowly. "I hadn't really thought about it." She looked troubled. "Have I really judged him so unfairly?"

"I think you may have done the same thing as my mum did," Ron said after a moment. "You might have just assumed he must have done something if he went to prison. You've never really trusted his judgement. He was really hurt when you said he should have asked Professor Dumbledore if Harry could go Christmas shopping. He said it showed you didn't trust him."

Hermione blushed. "Maybe I did. I guess I'd always thought Professor Dumbledore knew best and he should have the final say in what happened to Harry."

"Why?" Neville asked. "You wouldn't expect your parents to ask Professor Dumbledore's opinion, why should Sirius?"

Gathering up his belongings, Neville headed up to his dorm leaving a rather pensive Hermione behind.

* * *

Harry caught a ride into town with Carys' handyman Dafydd. Ginny was working on Vanishing spells so Harry took advantage of the chance to slip into town without her. Valentine's Day was coming up and he wanted to find something nice for her.

After arranging to meet with Dafydd in two hours at the car park, Harry headed down the main street. He wasn't entirely certain what he wanted to get her, but he thought he wanted to get her some jewellery. Just past the book store, he found a jewellery store.

Upon entering the store, he was greeted by a man he estimated was about Sirius' age. "Can I help you, sir?"

"I'm looking for something for my girlfriend," Harry said a bit nervously.

"Very good, sir," the man replied. "Do you know what you would like?"

"Not yet," Harry said.

"Take your time. I will be here if you had any questions."

Nodding, Harry turned towards the gleaming counters. He walked by the wedding rings quickly and looked at the display of necklaces before turning to the bracelets. He found some nice pieces, but there was nothing that he really wanted to get her. He walked past another display with a card that read 'Promise Rings'. Curious, he read the card that described promise rings.

The clerk approached him. "Are you interested in a promise ring, sir?"

"Maybe," Harry said. He looked up at the other man. "A promise ring shows that you are promising to get engaged?"

"Yes, many people look at it as a pre-engagement ring."

Harry looked at the rings, his thoughts racing. Was he ready for this? Was Ginny ready? As he thought back over the past year, he realized that he couldn't imagine a future without Ginny in it. Wasn't that what this ring said? He looked over the selection of rings.

"Can I see that one?" Harry asked. He pointed to a gold ring with two square stones in the centre with a curved row of diamonds above and below the stones.

"Certainly." The clerk pulled out the ring to show Harry. "We can put any two stones in the centre, often birthstones are used for the stones."

Harry nodded as he looked at the ring. He looked down at the card in the display that showed the different birthstones – his was a ruby and hers was a peridot. "I like that. How long does it take to order the ring?"

The man surveyed Harry carefully and looked to ensure they were alone. "I believe you are staying with Mrs Astley, are you not?"

Harry stiffened before nodding. "Yes, I am."

"Do you bank at her bank?"

Harry looked at him in confusion before he realized the man was asking in a rather roundabout way if he was a wizard. "I do."

Holding out a familiar form, the clerk said, "If you can place your key on the form, I can have the ring ready in two days. Would you like it engraved?"

Looking at the display, Harry noted that many of the samples had the couples' names engraved on them, but he knew that wasn't a good idea. "Can you engrave a phrase inside?"

"Certainly, what would you like engraved?"

"Together always," Harry said a touch shyly.

"Very good, sir. The total comes to £275 or just under 55 Galleons."

Pressing his key on the form, Harry saw the Gobbledygook appear in the box. The clerk nodded. "Excellent, if you would like to call around in two days I will have the ring ready. It will have an automatic sizing charm placed on it so it will size to the young lady's finger."

"Thanks," Harry said. He left the store feeling as though he had accomplished something. Stopping in at a florist, he decided to order a dozen roses to pick up when he picked up the ring.

When he and Dafydd arrived back at Carys' house, she was waiting for him. As Dafydd headed for his quarters, Carys gestured to Harry. "I found something that I thought the two of you could use."

"Okay," Harry said as he followed the older witch to the storeroom.

She lit the sconce on the wall with a flick of her wand. Walking along the open path on the floor, she led him to an open box along the back wall.

"This came in this afternoon," she explained. "I ordered the lot from a dealer in France. It's mostly antique laces and table runners, but hidden among the rest I found these."

She held up two shimmering cloaks that Harry recognized as Invisibility Cloaks. "These are Invisibility Cloaks and they seem to have quite a bit of life left in them yet. I imagine these were stored with the other household linens so they haven't worn out. These came from an estate sale and based on the other items; I would say they are probably over fifty years old. It's lucky they were stored away or they would have worn out by now."

Harry picked up the shimmering cloaks and noticed right away they weren't quite as silky smooth as his cloak. "Invisibility Cloaks wear out?"

"Certainly," Carys replied. "These are made from Demiguise hair and are of great quality. I thought you and Ginny might have need of these."

"Thank you," Harry said humbly. "We might at some point. I really appreciate it."

* * *

Amelia glanced up at the clock and noted in surprise it was half past seven, she hadn't realized the time. Stretching, she stood from her desk and peered out in the corridor. She vaguely recalled her secretary calling out she was leaving some time ago.

Gathering up her files, she put them away in her file cabinet and set locking and security charms on both the cabinets and her office. Several other department heads had reported they thought someone had gone through their belongings. She headed out of the darkened labyrinth of cubbies and offices towards the lift to the Atrium.

A sense of unease stole over her causing her to speed up slightly. A noise off to her left had her spinning around with her wand drawn. She peered into the shadowy darkness, but did not see anything. Cursing herself for so easily losing track of time, she hurried down the corridor, almost jogging in her haste.

She knew there should be someone in the Aurors' offices so she headed in that direction instead of continuing on the more deserted hallways towards the lifts. She could see the lights of the Aurors' office up ahead, but as she turned the corner a red light slammed into the wall next to her.

Whirling around, she cast a shield in front of her that absorbed a nasty looking purple curse. She still couldn't see her attackers, but could only see the flashes of light from the wands. She dove to the floor as a sickly green Killing Curse headed her way. Taking advantage of the desk next to her, she scooted behind it and returned fire. She thought she hit someone by the loud thud that sounded, but to her dismay that did not end the barrage of spell fire. A spell shattered the back of the desk, sending wood fragments into her leg.

Suddenly a shadow was over her and to her relief started sending spells into the darkness. Another voice spoke and lit up the deserted corridors. As she lost consciousness, Amelia heard her rescuers cursing her fleeing attackers.

She awoke sometime later in one of the gloomy rooms of Grimmauld Place. Glancing around she saw Kingsley sitting at her bedside. He sat up straighter when he saw she was awake.

"Welcome back, you gave us quite a scare."

"W-what happened?" she whispered.

He gently helped her to sit and handed her a cup of water that she took gratefully. Once she was resting in a more upright position, he replied, "You were attacked by three or four Death Eater wannabes. We aren't certain if this was a sanctioned action or if they were just trying to gain favour with Voldemort. You got one of them, I got one, and either one or two escaped. The two we captured are in the holding cells – neither of them has a Dark Mark."

"Merlin," she said shakily. "I never would have imagined they would be so bold as to attack me in the Ministry itself."

"I've heard from both Scrimgeour and Dumbledore, they were both rather shaken. I've worked with Gawain and we've increased security in the Ministry. We've added more guards in the lobby and we are working with some of the Charms experts in the Unspeakables. We are trying to develop a Charm to detect the Dark Mark."

"That would be a great advantage," Amelia replied. She felt a bit calmer as she realized she was indeed safe.

Andromeda Tonks bustled in and smiled at her old friend. "How are you feeling?"

"My leg hurts a bit, but I'm mostly a bit shaken, quite frankly."

"I don't wonder," Andromeda replied as she ran her wand over the other witch. "I can't believe those monsters would have the nerve to attack you within the Ministry itself."

She handed Amelia a vial of pale pink potion. "That should help with the pain in your leg. Your lower leg was badly bruised; it went to the bone, you were lucky not to break it. I removed many splinters from that leg, so it's no wonder your leg hurts a bit."

Amelia smiled in thanks as she downed the vial. Andromeda smiled, "I will be staying the night down the hall if you need anything. Molly will bring you up something to eat in just a bit."

"Andromeda, you don't need to spend the night," Amelia protested. "I know you hate this house."

"Don't worry," Andromeda said. "Ted is joining me and Dora will be around a bit later."

After Andromeda left, Amelia turned to her top Auror. "Was anyone else injured?"

Kingsley shook his head, "No, I don't think they were expecting so much resistance. Once Tonks and I showed up they scattered."

He stood. "As long as you are recovering, I'm going to go down and get some dinner. Molly was making meatballs and that is one of my favourites."

* * *

Harry smiled as he watched her cancel the glamour charm she'd placed on herself. "You're getting really good with those."

She smiled. "Thanks. Carys is a really good teacher."

"I know," Harry agreed. "I think my Transfiguration and Charms have really improved over the past few weeks."

"I'm just so happy to be practicing magic again," Ginny said as they headed into the main living room. "I'm glad I learned so much about living as a Muggle and I think it's really helped, but I'm a witch and I feel more myself practicing magic."

She glanced over at her boyfriend. "I'm going to take a shower and then we can leave, okay?"

Harry nodded. "That sounds good. We have reservations at seven."

As Ginny headed off to shower, Harry headed to his room. They were going out to celebrate Valentine's Day. Harry was a bit nervous as he planned to give her the promise ring. He quickly changed and brushed his teeth. Looking in the mirror, he thought he didn't look too bad. He was wearing his nicest dark jeans and a dark green shirt. At Ginny's request, he was wearing clear contacts for the night. She preferred his green eyes to the blue or hazel contacts he'd been wearing.

His hair was a light brown and without his glasses, he wasn't too worried about someone recognizing him. Ginny's hair was a shade darker than his with lighter highlights.

He headed down to the foyer to wait for his girlfriend. Carys poked her head out of the sitting room. "Oh, don't you look nice."

He blushed. "Thanks."

"You know where you're going, right?"

Harry nodded. "We'll Apparate to the alley behind the restaurant."

"Okay, be careful."

"We will."

A noise caused him to turn and he stared at Ginny. She was wearing the green dress he'd bought her for Christmas as well as the necklace he'd given her the year before. Her hair was twisted up on her head and Harry thought she looked very grown up and very regal.

"Wow," he whispered. "Ginny, you look amazing."

She blushed and he quickly closed the difference between the two of them and kissed her softly. "Thank you," she replied as he pulled back. "You look really nice, too."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. You are so beautiful."

Reaching behind him, he handed her the roses he'd picked up earlier that day. "These are for you."

"Thank you," she said as she lifted the roses up to smell them. "They are beautiful."

"Don't you two look wonderful."

The teens turned to see Carys smiling at them. It took little persuasion on her part to get them to pose for pictures. Carys took the roses and put them in water. She promised to have them waiting by Ginny's bedside when she returned.

Pulling on their cloaks, the two Apparated to the alley behind the restaurant, Harry took Ginny by the hand and led her to the front. It was a large stone restaurant that had been in Kenfig since the 16th century. Harry had chosen it because it was a nice, but homey kind of restaurant.

Soon they were seated at a rather secluded table. For Valentine's Day, most of the tables were set for two with a small candle and red and white table cloths. Harry was glad there were no cherubs and there was a distinct lack of pink.

He smiled over at Ginny. He couldn't believe how lucky he was and how amazing she looked. He recalled his disastrous date last Valentine's Day and thought today couldn't be more different. With Cho, he'd felt so nervous and he couldn't think of anything to say. As he reached across the table for Ginny's hand, he remembered how he'd nervously tried to gather the nerve to take Cho's hand and hadn't managed it. With Ginny everything was so much better.

"What are you thinking?"

He blushed, but answered, "I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you. Last year my Valentine's Day was such a nightmare and I was so miserable. Even then I remember thinking I would have had such a better time with you. That should have been a big clue."

She squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry you had such an awful time." She blushed a little while she admitted, "I was so jealous of her. I really wanted you to ask me to Hogsmeade."

"I wish we could do something normal like to go to Hogsmeade," Harry said a bit sadly. "Last spring I must have driven poor Hedwig nuts going on about you. If she could have talked I know she would have said 'Just ask the girl out.'"

"Hedwig is a very smart owl," Ginny replied with a smile.

"I miss her," Harry admitted. "I wish there was some way to let her know where I am."

"I know the feeling," Ginny said. She squeezed his hand. "No more sadness tonight. We're celebrating."

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss in her palm. "You're right. I love you."

"I love you too," she replied with a delighted smile.

Harry couldn't believe how good it felt to tell Ginny how he felt. A lifetime of supressing his emotions and believing no one would ever want to be with him were steadily being erased by her love and her presence.

They ordered their dinners. Harry chose a steak and jacket potato while Ginny had the lamb chops. They talked easily about their lessons while they waited.

"Carys said it should be a bit warmer tomorrow," Harry said. "Do you want to try out the brooms?"

Harry had ordered the brooms he'd wanted to have for Christmas. Unfortunately for Harry, the brooms were on back order and they had just been delivered the week before. The weather had been so bad that not even Harry wanted to try out the brooms. As much as he was itching to try the new brooms, he remembered how cold he'd been on the flight to Grimmauld Place and that was in July. He didn't want his first flight in over a year to be in freezing rain or snow.

"That sounds great," Ginny said enthusiastically. "I kept hoping it would clear up yesterday, but it just didn't."

"I can't wait to fly," Harry said.

She smiled indulgently as the waitress brought their food. Waiting until the waitress was safely away, Ginny laughed. "You always love to fly."

"I do," Harry admitted with a laugh. "The first time I flew, I just felt so…so free. It was something that just felt so natural and fun."

Ginny nodded, "I agree. I remember talking to Hermione about flying and she was all about the technique and how to do this and where to put your hands. I tried to explain to her how flying made me feel, but she just didn't get it."

"I know. I think because she does so many things so well, she gets really confused when she can't do what she reads in the books," Harry said with a fond smile. He grinned. "Personally, I think it's good for her not to do everything well. How awful would it be if she could do everything?"

Ginny laughed. She shot a look over at her boyfriend. "Do you think Ron has ever gotten a clue and asked her out?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I thought after their huge fight after the Yule ball that he might make his move, but all he does is complain about Krum. I don't even know if he realizes he likes her yet."

"I'm impressed," Ginny said. "I didn't know that you'd realized he liked her."

He coloured slightly and lowered his head. "It took me a while. Sirius actually said something to me." He shrugged. "I guess I've never looked at Hermione like that so it didn't occur to me that Ron would."

"Really?" Ginny asked. "I would have thought you might have had a crush on her at some point."

Harry shook his head. "No. At first I was just so happy to have friends that I didn't even think about the fact that she was a girl. She's just always been in a different category to me – kind of like a sister."

"That's very sweet," Ginny said with a smile. "I have to admit, I was very intimidated by her at first. I couldn't imagine being friends with you and not having a crush on you. She was older than me and such good friends with you. I felt so badly about…what happened my first year, but she was just so friendly and so open. I couldn't believe that she could prefer Ron over you – not that she's ever admitted it."

Harry laughed. "I'm just glad that we ended up together and that you didn't give up on me."

She leaned over and kissed him. "Never."

Pushing his now empty plate aside, Harry said, "That was really good."

"So is this," Ginny said as she finished her potatoes. "I've always liked lamb, but my mum doesn't cook it very much."

Harry paid the cheque and the two of them walked out through the pub and into the night air. A cart was set up across the street selling cakes and other desserts.

"Do you want one?" Harry asked gesturing towards the cart.

"I should say no," Ginny said, "but they look good."

Taking Ginny's hand, Harry led the way across the street. After some debate, they chose a heart shaped yellow cake with red frosting and pink flowers to share. Crossing the street, they sat down at one of the picnic tables set up across from the restaurant.

Ginny pulled her cloak a bit closer and glancing around, Harry discreetly cast a warming spell. He smiled as he dug into the cake. "This would be a bit more fun in the summer."

Ginny laughed, "At least they scraped the snow off the tables. It could have been a lot worse."

The two laughed – flirting and kissing while sharing the cake. Harry rose to throw away the plate and forks in the nearby rubbish bin. He turned back to the table and he nervously fingered the box in his pocket.

Holding out his hand, he said, "Come walk with me."

Taking his hand, the two walked towards the town square. They looked in the shop windows, talking easily. At the centre of the town square was a large oak tree with benches around it. The couple walked along the path around the tree.

Stopping, Harry turned to Ginny. Taking both of her hands in his, he said, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day to you," Ginny replied.

He smiled down at her. She was so pretty and so sweet, he couldn't help himself, and he leaned down and kissed her. For a long few minutes the two lost themselves in each other's arms.

Pulling away, Harry looked down at her. "Ginny, you make me so happy. I…I know we are young and we are on the run, but I want to let you know how much you mean to me."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled the ring box out and gave it to her. "This is a promise ring. It promises that one day I will replace this with an engagement ring. I don't know when, but I can't really imagine spending my life with anyone else."

She gasped, tears filling her eyes when she saw the ring. "Oh, Harry."

He watched her nervously for a moment. To his relief she held her hand out and he shakily slid the ring on her finger. The ring glowed for a moment before sizing comfortably to her finger. "It is so beautiful."

He smiled happily. "I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure what you would think."

Smiling up at him, she kissed him deeply. "I think it's a wonderful idea."

Holding up her hand, she admired her ring. "These are our birthstones, aren't they?"

He nodded and she smiled. "It's really pretty."

Tracing the ring around her finger, he said, "A lot of the rings had the couples' names engraved on them, but I didn't think that was a good idea. Look on the inside."

Curious, she slid the ring off her finger and held it up so she could read the engraving. "Together always,' Harry, that's perfect." She slid the ring back on her finger.

* * *

Amelia looked up as a knock sounded on her door. To her surprise, it was Minister Scrimgeour. She stood up. "Minister, welcome."

"Madam Bones, I came to welcome you back and to make sure you had recovered from your injuries." Minister Scrimgeour said heartily.

"Thank you, sir," she said as she sat back down. He sat down in the comfortable arm chair across the desk from her. "I am fully recovered."

"Excellent," he said.

"Thank you for the flowers," she said. "They were much appreciated."

"It was the least I could do," Scrimgeour said. "I'm glad to see Shacklebolt has implemented some new security measures. I understand we've already detained some suspected Death Eaters."

"Yes," Amelia replied. "I was informed that three people were detained yesterday. The Unspeakables are working on a charm to detect the Dark Mark, unfortunately it is proving difficult."

The Minister nodded. Looking around the office, he stood and closed the door. Amelia straightened and loosened her wand from her holster.

"Amelia, I must speak to you," the minister said urgently.

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

Scrimgeour raked his hand through his hair, making it stand more on end than normal. "I know you want me to reverse the Potter/Weasley expulsion, but there is something you don't know."

He looked around the room nervously. "Initially, I upheld the expulsion because I didn't see any way around it as they were accused of Dark Arts. After your investigation cleared them, I was prepared to reverse the expulsion. It would be nice to have the purported saviour of the Wizarding world in my debt."

Amelia struggled not to let her impatience with his politics show on her face. She must not have completely succeeded because he smiled. "I know, I shouldn't have considered how it would benefit me, I should have just done the right thing."

She nodded. "That is what I would have done."

"I know," Scrimgeour replied. He sighed. "Unfortunately because Fudge really stuffed things up, I needed the approval of the Wizengamot to reverse the expulsion. I put out feelers to some of my contacts in the Wizengamot. What I heard back horrified me."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.

"You know that there are a lot of people on the court who lean in support of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

She nodded and he continued. "Lucius Malfoy and his cronies have intimidated many of the other members. One of my old friends told me that they would support the reversal of the expulsion, but would want to negotiate Potter's surrender. Once he surrenders, the plan is to take him before You-Know-Who."

"Is there no way around it?" she asked after a moment.

"I'm afraid that his followers have infiltrated all levels of the Ministry. The fact that you were attacked within our building shows how precarious our safety is now." He looked at her, his eyes boring into her. "I don't know how safe I am. If something happens to me, you must be prepared to go into hiding. They will go after you and Dumbledore before trying to take over the Ministry."

She raised her eyebrows, alarmed at his tone. "Do you think that likely?"

"I'm afraid I do," Scrimgeour replied. "You must warn Black. Don't let Potter surrender to the Wizengamot."

Her door burst open and both she and the Minister pulled their wands. Yaxley raised his hands showing he was unarmed. "I'm sorry to burst in, Minister. I was concerned to see the door closed; I would hate for anything to happen to you."

"Of course," Scrimgeour replied smoothly. "No need for concern. I was just expressing to Madam Bones that I am glad she recovered so well."

"Yes," Yaxley replied with a rather false smile. "I am so relieved that you were not seriously injured."

"Thank you," Amelia replied.

Scrimgeour stood and nodded to Amelia. "I will let you get on with your day. Thank you so much for your time."

A troubled Amelia watched the two of them leave. She resolved to write to her niece immediately. Her brother had mentioned an escape plan, she needed to make sure he had all of the details worked out. He might need it much sooner than they believed.

She reached for an interdepartmental memo. She needed to talk to Kingsley and Tonks; they were the two Aurors she completely trusted.

* * *

Sirius listened to Bill intently as the younger man passed on the message Tonks and Kingsley had shared with them at the last Order meeting.

"Damn," Sirius swore. "I didn't think they would be that bold."

"I didn't either," Bill admitted. "It's shaken a lot of people both that the Minister is afraid of the power of the Wizengamot and that he has something to fear."

"Do your parents have a plan?"

Bill nodded, "Yes, they have a place they can go if the worst happens. My Dad has a plan set in place with the twins and Charlie should be safe in Romania. I would feel a bit better if Dumbledore would take the threats to his life a little more seriously. If he dies…"

"It will send the country into panic," Sirius finished. "I wish I felt confident that he's told us everything we need to know, but I don't think he has. There's no further word on Harry's whereabouts?"

Bill shook his head. "Tonks thinks she's traced him to a town outside Sheffield that was hit during the Bonfire Night attacks. There was a young couple that left town shortly after the attack, but people's memories were somewhat hazy so she thinks someone used Memory Charms. There is a witch in town whose son was injured in the attacks, Tonks interviewed her several times, but hasn't learned anything new."

"They could be anywhere by now," Sirius said.

Hedwig hooted softly and Sirius smiled over at his godson's owl. "Don't worry, girl. We'll find them, I promise."

Bill sighed, "Are you up for another round of searching this weekend? I've been reviewing the information Dumbledore shared with us. I think Hufflepuff's Cup is the next goal we should go after. I spoke to several Curse Breakers who do some free-lance work. There are reports of the cup turning up in various places. If we are right, Riddle created the Horcrux in the late 1940s."

Sirius nodded and Bill continued, "He must have had a secure place to hide the cup. He seems to pick significant hiding places: the cave where he tortured those kids, the shack where he killed his uncle."

"Has anyone checked through the old Riddle House?" Sirius asked. "It seems like a possible place. We know the orphanage is gone and I can't imagine Borgin wouldn't have found something hidden in his shop."

"I think the Riddle House is a viable option," Bill agreed. "Dumbledore still thinks there may be something hidden at Hogwarts. I've checked and Riddle doesn't have a vault of any type at Gringotts, Fleur is checking with Muggle banks to see if he has an account in a Muggle bank."

"Do you think he would?" Sirius asked.

Bill shrugged. "I don't know. From all accounts, his father and grandparents had quite a bit of money. If he could have proven his relationship, he may have taken over their estate. For all of his Pureblood rhetoric, he was a half-blood raised in the Muggle world. What better way to hide your wealth than to hide it in the Muggle world?"

"It does make a certain amount of sense," Sirius admitted. "Even my father had some accounts in the Muggle world."

"I'll be back on Friday," Bill said. "I have the day off and I think there is less chance they will be looking for someone during the day."

"Good," Sirius said. "I will talk to Remus and Tonks. He should be free, though I'm not sure what her schedule might be."

* * *

Carys left the stable block and headed towards her house. She looked around curiously, something seemed just a little off. Quickly she cast a revealing spell, but did not detect anyone. Cautiously she headed towards the house, cursing the openness she needed to cross. There was no coverage until she reached the gate to the back garden.

She debated casting a Disillusionment Charm, but she knew that as long as she was moving the shimmering of the charm could give her away. Her best bet was to move as quickly as she could towards the safety of the back garden.

A noise sounded off to the left and she shot a stunner in the direction of the noise before taking off. As soon as she did so, she realized her mistake. Spells shot in her direction. She made it three quarters of the way across the yard before a red light hit her thigh.

"Damn!"

Laughter alerted her to her attackers' presence. "Okay, you can come out now."

Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak off and revealed his laughing face. Carys reluctantly smiled. "You did well. I didn't see anything."

"Thanks," Harry said. "The spell to cover our tracks really helped."

"Good," Carys replied, her eyes still sweeping the yard. "Where is Ginny? I can't see any sign of her."

Harry gestured behind Carys and Ginny jumped down from the large apple tree at the edge of the back garden. "We thought it better if we split up."

"That is a great idea," Carys said. She shivered a bit. "It's a bit cold out here, why don't we head inside."

The two teens followed her into the house. After hanging up their cloaks, they headed for the kitchen. Ginny walked over to the stove to prepare some tea. Within a few minutes the three were sitting around the table evaluating Harry and Ginny's performance.

"What could you have done better?" Carys asked them.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. Harry answered, "When we separated we had no way of contacting each other. I wasn't entirely certain where she was. I knew where she was planning to go, but I didn't know when she got there."

Carys nodded. "That is a problem. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. There is a tracking charm that I can teach you so you can track each other, but it is not perfect. It can be cancelled by others or by some protective wards. There is no easy way to keep in contact with each other. I know in the Muggle world they have ways of keeping in touch – mobile phones and two way radios, but they won't work around Magic."

"Can spells be used that do the same thing as mobile phones?" Harry asked. "Mrs Griffin used mobile phones."

"She did," Carys agreed, "but she didn't regularly practice Magic. I can't imagine that either of you two could use a mobile phone." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hold on, I might have something."

She hurried out to the store room she used to store the boxes she was sorting through for her shop. Several minutes later she returned with two square boxes which she held out to the teens. Harry opened his box which contained a rather plain gold bracelet. It was a bangle type bracelet with a dragon's head on the two ends. Ginny's box contained a pretty gold bracelet with a purple coloured gem in the centre. The teens looked at her questioningly.

"These are what are called communication bracelets," Carys explained. "They are Victorian bracelets with an unusual charm. The bracelets are linked through this charm and while you can't actually communicate through them, they will help you find your loved one."

"Really?" Ginny said eagerly. "That sounds like what we are looking for."

Carys nodded. "As I said, these are not very common. They were first developed in the Middle Ages when loved ones could be separated for some time due to war or just the slow methods of travel. The charms used on them have been lost to time, but we do occasionally find a matching pair. These are already charmed, the two of you just need to activate them."

"Okay," Harry said. "What do we do?"

Carys lay the two bracelets side by side in one of the boxes and set the box on the table in front of them. "To activate the charm, you need to think of each other and the spell is '_Cordis ad Cordis'_."

The teens nodded and Carys watched as they looked at each other. With a smile on both of their faces, they recited the spell. The bracelets glowed brightly and without prompting, the two picked up the bracelets. Ginny slid Harry's bracelet on his wrist and then he did the same for her. Once the bracelets were on, the glow faded away. As Carys watched, Ginny leaned in and gently kissed her boyfriend.

Picking up the box, Carys carried it back out to the storeroom to give the young couple a moment of privacy. When she returned, the two were examining their bracelets.

"Do they feel warm?" Carys asked.

The teens nodded. "Good," Carys said. "That means the spell worked. One of the reasons the bracelets fell out of favour was the couple has to be in love to make the bracelets work. It could be quite embarrassing if a married couple couldn't power their own bracelets. In an era of arranged marriages and mergers for social and political gain, the bracelets fell out of favour. Eventually, the charms to power the bracelets have been lost. Finding a pair of bracelets less than two hundred years old is quite rare."

"Are you sure you want us to have them?" Harry asked. "It sounds like they are quite valuable."

"I'm certain," Carys said. "My son doesn't need them and I knew the two of you would be able to power them. From what I've read the warmth is stronger the closer you are to each other. Why don't you practice with them for a while, I will start to prepare dinner."

The two obediently headed outside. Harry turned to Ginny. "Why don't you Apparate somewhere on the property and I will try to find you?"

Nodding, Ginny leaned up to kiss him before Apparating away. Once she was gone, Harry closed his eyes. To his amazement, he could feel her almost 350 meters away and to the right of where he was standing. Instinctively, he Apparated to her side.

"I could tell where you were," Ginny said excitedly as he arrived. "The bracelet heated up as you got closer."

"I wonder how far away it works."

"Let's find out," Ginny said. She Apparated away. It took Harry a moment to locate her at the edge of the property. She was almost four kilometres away. He Apparated to her side. Looking around, he didn't see her right away, but following the sensation he peered behind a large hedgerow to find her.

"You try it this time," Ginny said. Harry nodded and Apparated away.

It was almost two hours later by the time the two of them returned home. Carys was in the kitchen, reading a book at the table while watching the roast in the oven.

"Carys, it's amazing," Ginny said as she entered the warm kitchen.

Carys smiled at the girl's red cheeks and shining eyes. "Tell me about it."

"We played tag," Ginny explained as she washed her hands. "We could find each other all the way in Kenfig Hills. I don't know how to explain it, but I can tell you where he is. The only problem is that I can't tell anything about the area where he is. If we know the area it's okay, but a few times we Apparated to an area too small for the two of us. Poor Harry almost got hurt when I was hiding in a tree like I was earlier. He tried to join me without realizing how small the branch was and he fell to the ground."

"Luckily, she wasn't very high in the air," Harry said as he joined them in the kitchen. He kissed Ginny on the cheek before starting the set the table. "These are great, Carys. Thanks a lot."

* * *

Sirius Apparated to the edge of the graveyard in Little Hangleton. He was soon joined by Bill, Remus, and Tonks. The four of them headed up the hill to the abandoned old house. It had obviously been a grand house at one time, but now it had an air of neglect. The windows were boarded over and some of the roof tiles were missing.

After drawing their wands, the four were surprised to find the back door was unlocked. Bill gestured for them to enter and they found themselves in the long abandoned old kitchen. There was a layer of dust on the counters and appliances, but the floor had been cleaned more recently. A musty smell of decay permeated the house.

Sirius swallowed as he realized the long undulating lines in the light layer of dust must have been from Voldemort's snake. He somehow hadn't realized how large the snake was, even after Harry and Arthur's descriptions.

The four of them left the kitchen and walked quickly through the dust clogged dining room. Sirius knew from Tonks' report that this is where the Riddles were found by their maid after Tom murdered them. The formal living room was in shambles. Thick dust and cobwebs covered the chandelier and bookcases that flanked the large fireplace. There was little furniture in the room. A couch with torn cushions was facing the fireplace and a threadbare rug was in front of it.

With a flick of his wand, Bill cleared the dust and cobwebs. He looked at the others. "I doubt anything would be hidden in here, but we should look."

Sirius diligently inspected the bricks of the fireplace, but he somehow doubted Voldemort would use the same hiding place twice. The other three searched through the bookcases without any luck. The lady's sitting room was empty of everything except an old wooden secretary. After searching it, the four of them headed up the stairs. It was cleaner upstairs than the ground floor.

A large study at the end of the hall seemed like the room Harry had described from his dreams. It was much cleaner than other rooms and was fully furnished. It took the four of them quite some time to determine that nothing had been hidden in the study.

It was getting dark by the time they cleared the last bedroom. Sirius sat back on his heels. "Damn! I really hoped we would find something here."

Bill shrugged philosophically. "We keep looking." He held out his hand to help Sirius up. "Let's head back to your house and we'll regroup."

A short time later, they were enjoying a dinner prepared by Dobby. Sirius had insisted on a shower before eating, but the others made do with cleansing charms and washing their hands.

Remus laughed when Sirius re-joined them. "You are such a girl sometimes."

"I don't like to be dirty and dusty," Sirius said. "There is nothing wrong with that."

Bill shook his head. "You'd never make it as a Curse Breaker."

Sirius shrugged as he accepted a bowl of soup from his elf. "I'm sure I wouldn't. I don't have the patience, either."

"This soup is great, Dobby," Bill complemented the small elf.

"Thank you, sir." Dobby said happily before heading back to the kitchen.

The four ate heartily before heading for Sirius' study.

"Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way," Remus said.

"How do you mean?" Sirius asked.

Remus conjured up a chalkboard and with a flick of his wand a list of known and possible Horcruxes appeared on the board. Next to the locket, diary, and ring were listed the places in which they were found. At the bottom of the board were listed places they had checked and come up empty.

"Voldemort may be many things, but he is also rather intelligent," Remus said. "He might not have expected anyone to realize what he was doing, but based on Regulus' journal, he seemed to delight in setting traps with the Horcruxes he did hide."

Tonks nodded as she studied the board. "He does seem to like demonstrating his own superiority." She looked between Sirius and Remus before suggesting, "Has anyone checked the Potters' house? If he was planning to make a Horcrux after killing Harry, wouldn't he have had an item with him?"

Remus glanced over at his old friend and realized that Sirius had probably not returned to the Potters' house. "I don't know. I never returned to their house after that night. I don't know what happened to their house."

"I believe it was preserved by the Ministry," Bill said. "I don't know if anyone inventoried the contents of the house."

"I don't think anyone did," Tonks said. "I think they just preserved the house as it was." She looked over at her cousin who was staring at the carpet. "Sirius, you were named executor of the estate and you are Harry's guardian. You can get into the house."

He sighed before heading over to his sideboard and pouring four measures of Firewhiskey. Handing a glass to each of them, he said, "If I'm going back to that house, I will need help. I can't face it myself."

"You won't need to face it alone," Remus vowed. "We will be with you."

Bill raised his glass. "To the Potters."

"The Potters," everyone echoed before downing their Firewhiskey.

* * *

Hermione looked up as Ron stomped into the Common Room. "What's wrong?"

"Sodding Malfoy," Ron snarled.

"What did he do now?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

"He…he just kept up with his taunting about Harry and Ginny," Ron finally said. "He was laughing about the latest rumours that they've lost all of their magic. He said if Ginny isn't magical anymore her only value was on her back." Ron's ears flamed bright red as he said the last part.

"I know it's hard," Hermione said, "but every time you react it just encourages him."

Ron glared at her. "You might be able to ignore him, but it…that's my sister he's gabbing on about."

"I know," Hermione said sharply. "Don't yell at me, I'm not the one insulting your sister. No one with any brain believes those stupid rumours."

"I guess," Ron said grumpily. He glanced at his watch. "Damn! I have Quidditch practice."

Hermione watched him stomp up the stairs. Neville joined her by the fireplace. "Don't be too hard on him. He and Susan broke up earlier today."

"Really?" Hermione was surprised. "I thought they were getting on well."

Neville shrugged. "I think they were, but they really don't have all that much in common and they didn't get to spend much time together. It wasn't a bad breakup with a huge fight or anything, but I know he was a bit upset about it."

Ron hurried past the two of them without a second glance as he headed for the pitch. Neville watched his friend leave. "He's right about Malfoy, though. He's up to something; I don't know what, but he's up to something."

Hermione rolled her eyes, having heard both Ron and Neville's complaints about Malfoy all term. She certainly didn't like Malfoy, but she considered him more of a pest than anything else. "Professor Snape seems to be improving, doesn't he?"

Shaking his head at her change in subject, Neville said, "I don't know that's he's improving. He hasn't been quite as insulting, but he isn't very helpful. All he does is bark at us the name potion we're making and then glide around the room making faces."

"He gave Malfoy detention last week," Hermione protested.

Neville gave her a look she couldn't interpret. "He gave Malfoy detention and had him practicing Quidditch during his alleged detention. He was supposed to be 'testing' the Slytherin brooms. That's hardly a real detention."

Hermione struggled with that for a moment. She knew that Professors were allowed to set their own detentions, but that didn't sound like a real detention. "Professor Dumbledore trusts him so I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Don't look at me like that. Harry always swore Professor Snape was out to get him, but it never turned out to be true."

Changing the topic, Neville asked, "Can you explain the rules of Transfiguration to me again? I keep getting them confused."

* * *

Sirius took a deep breath as he stood before the Potters' front door. The state of the house was disheartening. Lily had always taken such pride in her house; she would be shocked to see the overgrown front lawn and the house in such a state of disrepair. The top right corner of the house was gone, rubble littering the yard.

Using his wand, he unlocked the door and entered his best friend's former home. Unlike the Riddle home, the inside of the Potters' house was almost pristine in its condition. There was no dust or dirt anywhere in sight. Sirius' eyes were automatically drawn to the fireplace. It was there he'd found his best friend's body on that awful night.

He walked steadily over to the spot and, closing his eyes, he reiterated his promise to his best friend to find his son. He couldn't do anything more for James or Lily, but he could still help Harry.

Turning abruptly, he walked past the others who were still grouped in the foyer. He took the stairs two at a time, just as he had as a younger man. There had been so much happiness in this house. It hurt, almost physically, that the house was empty. This is where Harry should have been raised, not with those bloody Muggles.

He headed down the hall and paused outside Harry's room. How many times had he brought Harry up for a nap or come up to get him up from a nap? He felt the sting of tears that he determinedly blinked back, he missed his best mate with all of his heart, but he still had Harry to think about.

Cautiously, he pushed open the door and had to swallow hard at the destruction he saw within. Charms had obviously kept the elements out of the room, but he could see outside through the gaping hole at the roofline.

"Merlin," Bill whispered as he looked around the room. "I can't believe anyone survived."

Sirius nodded, but did not trust his voice. The walls that he and James had painted under Lily's careful directions were now destroyed. Harry's cot was tipped over and in splinters. Sirius had to swallow a load of bile when he realized that the red stains on the floor under the cot were actually Harry's blood.

Bill had his wand out and was casting sensing spells. The side and back wall were in pieces, but the other side was remarkably untouched. There were three shelves hung on the wall with a few children's books and a stuffed stag.

Sirius walked over to the shelves. On the lowest shelf was the silver cup given to Harry by his maternal grandparents at his Christening. It had his name and date of birth engraved upon one side and on the other was a football and a broom acknowledging both of his heritages.

"Do you see anything that doesn't belong?" Bill asked, his voice sounding loud in the small room.

Sirius shook his head.

"I don't detect anything," Bill said. "At least not any artefacts. The magic that has been expended in this room is incredible."

Tonks made a face. "Voldemort tends to leave his mark everywhere."

Bill shook his head, "No, not Voldemort. Lily Potter invoked some very ancient magic when she took that curse for her son. It is still in place today. I don't believe a Horcrux could survive in this room, the magic is very powerful and very positive."

Sirius smiled for the first time since arriving at the house. "Lily would like that. Her greatest accomplishment was to save her son with a love so powerful it is still evident almost twenty years later."

"I guess that shouldn't surprise us," Remus said, his voice oddly husky. "She loved that little boy more than anything."

Sirius left the house feeling much more heartened than he'd arrived. Although they hadn't found a Horcrux, he felt as though he'd regained a piece of his youth. Somehow Lily had managed to save her house from Voldemort's evil hold.

* * *

Harry pulled Ginny down onto his lap. Carys was gone for the week on a buying trip in York, leaving the teens in her house alone. They'd been working hard for the past few days and Harry felt they deserved a bit of a break.

Ginny seemed to agree with that idea because she kissed him deeply, winding her fingers through his hair. As her tongue slipped into his mouth, he tangled his hand in her hair. Losing himself in her kiss, he slid his other hand up under her shirt.

She tore her mouth away from his when breathing became necessary. Harry placed open mouthed kisses down her neck, revelling in her softness. He pushed her shirt up cautiously and when she didn't stop him, he pulled her shirt over her head.

He forgot to breathe as he looked down at her. Her hair was in disarray and her lips were pleasingly puffy, but what immediately drew his attention was the black lacy bra – or rather what was under the black lacy bra. He'd seen Ginny in a bikini before, but somehow this was different.

She smiled up at him alluringly. He couldn't help himself and he leaned down and kissed her again. Slowly his slid his hand up to cup her breasts. He was surprised at how soft they felt under his hands. He daringly tried to undo her bra when a loud bang outside startled both of them.

Harry laughed a bit shakily when he heard Dafydd berating one of the young teens helping him around the farm. He blushed when he looked over at Ginny. She was so incredibly beautiful.

She blushed a bit and reached out for her shirt. Harry handed it over, reluctant for her to be covered, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. "Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to get carried away."

Harry smiled at her. "I think that's my line. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"You didn't," she said. She gestured to the outdoors, "I just kind of forgot we weren't really all alone."

He nodded understandingly. "I'll go see if Dafydd needs any help."

* * *

Harry lifted the last of the bales of hay and jumped down from the back of the wagon. Dafydd planned to take the hay out to the far meadows later that afternoon so Harry had helped him finish loading the wagon.

"Dafydd, do you need anything else?"

As Harry turned the corner of the wagon, a fist lashed out and caught Harry on the side of the head. He fell back a bit dazed. Before he could react, he felt his wand ripped away from him.

Looking up he felt a frissom of fear at the sight of a black robed Death Eater standing above him. He prayed with all of his might that Ginny would stay inside. Where was Dafydd? Had he been captured as well? Questions raced around his mind. He was pulled to his feet and two large men held his arms.

"Are you sure this is Potter?" Harry groaned inwardly as he recognized the aristocratic tones of Lucius Malfoy. Anger flared through him as he saw Malfoy addressing Dafydd.

"Aye, that's him," Dafydd replied. Pointing his wand at Harry, he cleaned the makeup that Harry wore over his scar.

Malfoy pushed up his white mask and peered closely at the young wizard. He smiled as he recognized the teen. "Mr Potter, I am pleased to see you again. My Lord will be quite pleased to see you. He was very upset when you escaped him."

Harry glared at Dafydd, angry at both the man for his betrayal as well as his own sloppiness. He hadn't expected any betrayal and he knew that he and Ginny had grown a bit complacent. He rarely wore coloured contacts anymore, preferring the clear contacts. They hadn't bothered with false names as they were rarely around anyone except Carys and Dafydd. Those lapses seemed so large now.

"You have him now," Dafydd said shakily. "Will you let my brother go now?"

Lucius studied the young Welshman before shrugging carelessly. "Certainly."

He nodded to one of the other Death Eaters who dumped a bloodied and broken body at Dafydd's feet. Dafydd's scream of anguish filled the meadow. "No, no I gave you Potter!"

Lucius's face hardened. "It is not up to you to set the terms."

"You bastard," Harry said lowly.

"_Crucio!"_

Harry felt the excruciating pain of the torture curse rip through him. He didn't want to scream, but a scream was ripped from his throat. The pain seemed to go on forever, however it did eventually stop.

"Where is Miss Weasley?" Lucius asked silkily.

Harry refused to answer and was subjected to another round of the Cruciatus for his trouble.

Lucius turned to Dafydd, repeating the question he'd asked Harry. "Where is Miss Weasley?"

"I don't know," Dafydd said brokenly as he stared at his brother's body. "There's no girl here."

Harry felt a wave of relief at Dafydd's lies. His relief turned to anger as Lucius stared at the man for a moment before pointing his wand at the man. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

He walked over to Harry and punched him in the stomach before grabbing the teen by his arm, twisting it behind him. Harry screamed as the arm cracked under the pressure.

Turning to the other men, Lucius said, "I'm taking him to our Lord. Search the house, find the girl."


	9. Chapter 9 Rescue Me

**A/N: Thank you to my betas StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent for their hard work!  
**

* * *

_**April 3, 1997 – April 4, 1997**_

Ginny was puttering around the house picking up when she heard screams coming from the meadow. As much as she wanted to charge outside, the training of the past few months took over. She ran upstairs to the first floor landing. There were two large windows that overlooked the back of the house. She bit back a scream when she saw the Death Eaters standing over Harry.

Pushing back her fear, she counted seven Death Eaters. She knew there was no way she could outfight them, especially seeing as they already had Harry. Running to her room, she used the spell Tonks had taught her to pack her belongings. She did the same thing in Harry's room and soon had both of their bags over her shoulder. Covering herself with one of the Invisibility Cloaks, she looked outside again. She'd heard Dafydd's screams and bit back a sob when he fell to Lucius Malfoy.

She wanted to scream when she saw Lucius attack Harry once again, but she forced herself to remain silent. Tears coursed down her face as she watched Malfoy disappear with the love of her life. She watched the Death Eaters headed for the house and positioned herself at the landing across from the stairs.

It was a long few minutes as she heard them tossing things around downstairs. She didn't know how many there were, but she thought there were at least three of them. The straps of the heavy bags were cutting into her shoulder and she was sweating under the unexpectedly thick Invisibility Cloak. She could feel sweat dripping down her back, but she didn't want to leave quite yet. She wiped her hand on her jeans and re-gripped her wand.

Eventually she heard someone clattering up the stairs. She didn't really understand how they expected to surprise anyone with all of the noise they were making. As the Death Eater cleared the stairs and turned towards the bedrooms, Ginny hit him with a silent stunner.

He fell quickly, but luckily the Death Eaters downstairs were making so much noise they didn't hear him fall. She quickly walked over to him and felt around his neck. To her relief, he had a Portkey. She pulled it off of him and hurried back to her room where the brooms were leaning against the wall. Grabbing the brooms, she took one more look around the place. She didn't see anything that would give them away so she Apparated away.

* * *

Harry landed heavily and Lucius Malfoy pushed him down on the ground. As Harry looked up, he realized he was surrounded by Death Eaters. They took turns kicking and stepping on him. A large foot connected with his head and blessedly he lost consciousness.

When he regained consciousness, he found he was in a small, dank cell. A damp musty smell permeated the space along with a tangy smell that took him a moment to identify as blood.

He listened carefully, but didn't hear anything. Cautiously he opened his eyes. He didn't immediately see anyone, so he carefully sat up. Pain raced through him. He knew his arm was broken and he thought that he had a few broken ribs as well, judging from the chest pain he was experiencing. It was difficult to open his left eye all the way; he gently reached up and found his eye swollen. Blood was caked under his nose and mouth and his lips were split. The only good thing he found was his nose didn't seem to be broken.

With his good hand, he felt his chest and abdomen and found numerous cuts and bruises. As a matter of fact, his abdomen seemed to be one huge bruise. He wondered briefly if he was bleeding inside.

He wondered where his wand was. He vaguely remembered it being taken from him at the farm. Standing up, he swayed a bit; but determined to stay on his feet, he staggered over to the bars. Looking through, he found he seemed to be the only person imprisoned in the dungeon. There were two cells across from him, both empty; and there was a cell next to him that he thought was empty as well. Looking to the right, he could vaguely see a hallway leading into darkness. Looking to the left, he saw a stone wall with several shelves. He shuddered as he recognized several sharp looking instruments hanging on the walls. The only purpose he could see to them was to cause pain.

He squinted through his swollen eye and his heart jumped when he saw his wand on the top shelf. It hadn't been broken and that gave him hope. He staggered back to the back of his cell and sat heavily on the rough stone ledge that served as a seat. He drew his hand back as it made contact with the slimy walls. Looking over, he noticed for the first time that the stone walls were covered with a type of greenish-black, slimy substance. He wiped his hand on his torn jeans. It didn't seem to do much good.

Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself. As he slowed his breathing, he realized his bracelet was still on. Concentrating on the bracelet, he felt to his relief that Ginny was nowhere near him. He was angry at Dafydd for not realizing the Death Eaters wouldn't keep their end of the bargain, but he was angrier at himself. How had he let everything slip so much that he could be so easily recognized?

He and Ginny had been with Carys for almost five months and hadn't changed their look or their names. He'd even gotten lax with wearing coloured contacts and keeping his hair coloured. He and Ginny had gone into town several times and hadn't taken pains to hide their identities. Guilt crashed down on him, threatening to swamp him.

After a few moments, Harry took a deep breath. He couldn't allow himself to give in to his guilt. Yes, he had made mistakes, but he couldn't deal with that now, he had to figure out how to survive. As much as he wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all, he knew he needed to conserve his strength. He found himself leaning back against the wall closing his eyes; he drifted into unconsciousness once again.

* * *

Ginny arrived at the abandoned house in the Lake District that she'd identified as a 'safe house.' Carys had asked each of them pick several safe houses that the other didn't know about in case one of them was captured. This house was at the north-eastern side of Bassenthwaite Lake – Ginny had noticed it during the summer and had asked Deena about it. It was a holiday home that had fallen into a bit of disrepair. According to Deena, no one had lived there for over a year.

To Ginny's relief, it was still abandoned. One of the reasons she'd chosen this house was it was furnished. She set to work deciding to risk some underage magic by cleaning the kitchen and one of the bedrooms. It was warm enough that she could open the windows without it cooling the house too much. She aired out the bedroom and conjured up some sheets with the spell she'd taught Harry almost a year before.

Setting their two bags down, Ginny rummaged through the bags to find some money. She Apparated into town arriving in a secluded area behind the store. Knowing she didn't want to spend too much time, she bought some food, mild pain medicine, and bandages. Hurrying back to the house, Ginny found that the house had its own generator. Cranking up the generator, she was relieved to find the refrigerator powered on. She had been afraid that the amount of magic needed to set up a cold cupboard would be easily detected.

Once she'd set up an area to bring Harry back to, she focused on a plan to rescue him. She briefly considered attempting to find someone to help her, but recalling the warning in the paper, she quickly discarded that thought. She couldn't imagine she had the time to try and find someone, much less come up with a discreet way to contact them.

Digging through the bag, she pulled out the packet of Floo powder Carys had given them. It made her very nervous that she had no idea where she was going or what she was heading into, but she knew that Harry would never abandon her. After all, when he was only twelve he'd braved a Basilisk to rescue her; she would do no less for him. She twisted her bracelet around her wrist. She hated how far away he felt. From the feelings she was getting, she thought maybe he might be as far away as London.

She quickly plaited her hair so it would be out of the way and pulled on a pair of black cargo trousers and a dark shirt. She slipped the Floo powder, a vial of Pepperup Potion, a pocket knife, and Harry's folded up Invisibility Cloak into her various pockets. Securely gripping her wand in one hand, she cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself before donning her Invisibility Cloak.

Taking a deep breath, she activated the Portkey she'd taken off the Death Eater. She arrived in a thankfully empty courtyard of a rather imposing house. Relief flooded through her when her bracelet warmed up suddenly. She was in the right place. Scurrying over to the shadows at the side of the house, she looked around trying to figure out her next move.

* * *

Harry was jerked awake when he was splashed by a wandful of cold water. "On your feet, Potter!"

Apparently he was too slow in complying, as several Death Eaters pulled him none too gently to his feet. Swaying, the pain of his broken arm and the bruising in his chest and abdomen suddenly seemed much worse. He managed to keep up with the Death Eaters so he didn't get pulled along too badly.

He was led up a long hallway. When they walked through the doorway, the corridor abruptly changed from rough stone walls to smooth, nicely painted walls. Harry realized they were actually in someone's house. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of having a dungeon in your home.

At the next corridor, he was somehow not surprised to see Lucius Malfoy awaiting him. Malfoy had eschewed the traditional Death Eater mask, but was wearing what appeared to be a very expensive set of black robes. Silver serpent clasps on his robes gleamed in the candlelight. This was a man very sure of himself in his own kingdom.

"Mr Potter, I hope your accommodations have met with your approval," Malfoy said with a touch of malice in his voice.

Harry forced himself to laugh. "Even my Muggle relatives had a nicer place for me to stay."

Malfoy's face darkened, but he merely nodded. "My Lord is waiting for us."

"He's not my Lord." The words had barely left Harry's mouth when a fist crashed into his face.

Malfoy smiled. "Thank you, Crabbe." Looking Harry over he said, "You will be singing a different tune soon enough."

Another Death Eater prodded Harry from behind so he started walking again following Malfoy. He looked around, but he couldn't see much through the group surrounding him. They passed several closed doors; he wondered longingly if there was a fireplace in one of the rooms behind them. As they neared the back of the house, Harry suddenly gasped in pain.

His scar felt as though it was on fire. Pain seared through his head – it was worse than the pain he'd felt in the graveyard two years earlier. He retched suddenly from the pain, earning smacks from the Death Eaters as they cleaned their robes. Lifting a shaky hand, he wiped his mouth.

The Death Eaters cleared out from in front of him and for the first time he could see the opulent room they had just entered. It appeared to be a ballroom like in the romance novels Ginny read. The wooden floor was gleaming. The back wall was all windows and French doors opening out into a beautiful garden beyond. It amazed him that such evil could thrive in such a beautiful place.

Voldemort stood in front of him on a raised dais, behind Voldemort was an actual throne. Harry felt a sudden desire to laugh, but he suppressed it as he knew it wouldn't do him any good. Coiled next to the throne was Nagini, her head was raised and she was watching him.

"Mr Potter."

"Tom."

The response was quick and painful as he was hit behind the knees so he fell on his knees in front of Voldemort. Two heavy hands on his shoulders held him in place. He settled for glaring defiantly at Voldemort.

"As I have told you before," Voldemort began, "that name means nothing to me anymore. I have chosen a new name."

"Please," Harry returned. "You jumbled together the letters of your name to come up with a ridiculous new name. You are no Lord."

"_Crucio!"_

Harry screamed as the curse hit him from three different wands. He was actually lifted briefly off the floor by the force of the curse. He convulsed from the intensity of the pain. When the curses stopped it took him a moment to gather himself. As much as he just wanted to curl up on the floor, he dragged himself to his feet.

"You have spirit," Voldemort said. He turned to fully face Harry, his scarlet eyes drilling into Harry's. "I want to know about the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Harry asked honestly.

"_Crucio!"_

To Harry's relief, the spell didn't last as long this time. Voldemort was glaring at him. "I need to know the contents of the prophecy."

"I don't know anything about a prophecy," Harry said flatly.

Voldemort paced on the dais in front of him. "I have been sending you dreams about the Department of Mysteries for almost a year. Did you not ever ask anyone what they meant?"

Harry shrugged. "Who would I ask? You killed my parents, my godfather's on the run, and my Headmaster wasn't talking to me."

Voldemort laughed. "You actually do have a point there. I don't know why Severus dislikes you so much, you can actually be quite entertaining."

"Severus doesn't like me because he's an immature, greasy git," Harry returned as he looked around the ballroom. Some of the Death Eaters were masked, others were not. He wondered briefly if the Potions Master was there – he rather hoped he was.

Voldemort laughed again. "I can see the dislike is mutual. Did Severus not ask you about your dreams? He might have helped you."

It was Harry's turn to laugh. "Me, ask Snape for help? Please, he hates me. Why would he help me?"

"He would help you because I ordered him to," Voldemort returned angrily, no longer amused.

Harry didn't respond, he didn't have anything to say. Voldemort paced on the dais for a moment before turning to Malfoy. "You will have to take him to the Ministry."

"Of course, my Lord," Malfoy returned immediately. "Shall I take him tonight?"

"Severus, do they still guard the Department of Mysteries?"

"Yes, my Lord," came the reply.

Harry had to stifle a smile at the thought of Snape hearing exactly what he thought of him.

"I want it done tomorrow," Voldemort said. He turned to Bellatrix. "You may play with him, but don't damage him."

She gave him a rather deranged smile. "Of course, my Lord."

Voldemort turned and sat on his throne while Bellatrix sailed over to Harry. She looked him over in a rather predatory manner. "We shall have fun together."

Harry felt ill at the look on her face. He considered struggling, but thought it better to get back to his cell away from most of the Death Eaters. He didn't want to make it too easy for them, so he did crash into the Death Eater nearest him. That resulted in another punch to the stomach.

He was dragged back to his cell and bodily thrown inside. Bellatrix walked around the outside of the cell. "I hear my disgrace of a cousin has been championing your cause."

Harry smiled proudly. "Sirius knows I didn't do anything wrong. He believes in me."

"He is a disgrace to the Black name and he will be hunted down like the dog he is," Bellatrix countered.

"He is the only decent Black, as far as I can tell," Harry retorted. "You should hear your crazy aunt's portrait yell at everyone. It seems like you would fit in well with her."

"_Crucio!"_ Bellatrix yelled as a fanatical gleam blossomed in her eyes. She watched in satisfaction as he hit his head on the way down to the floor.

She released him from the curse and watched as he sat up panting in pain. The moment he regained his composure, she put him in a full Body-Bind Curse. He glared at her, unable to do anything else.

She reached over to where he knew the wall holding the torture devices was located. Inwardly he started to panic, in a way grateful the curse didn't let his body reflect his full terror.

"This will do, I think," Bellatrix said as she opened the cell door. Two large Death Eaters held him up. She gave him a deranged smile as she stood only a few meters from him. With the flick of her wand she vanished his torn and rather bloody shirt.

Fear spiked through him when he saw her raise a large whip. She nodded to the Death Eaters holding him and they turned him around and used a spell he didn't know to tie his wrists above his head. The pain from his broken arm was almost too much to endure. Once he was secured, the Body-Bind Curse was released.

The bite of the whip was excruciating as the deranged Death Eater deftly wielded it. "This is the punishment for daring to think you are good enough to be the heir of the House of Black."

She lashed out with the whip again and again. Harry's voice was hoarse from screaming. He lost track of the number of times she drew the whip across his back. He could feel the blood dripping down his back. To his surprise, it was rather easy to block out her ranting. Who would have thought the time spent with his relatives had left him with some useful skills?

A cool voice from the shadows outside the cell interrupted Bellatrix. "Really, Bella. He needs use of his hands. The Dark Lord would not be pleased if his plans were ruined once again."

She stopped and turned to look at her brother-in-law. "I suppose that is true."

A flick of her wand unexpectedly released the ropes on Harry's wrists. He fell heavily to his knees. Fighting against unimaginable pain, Harry hauled himself to his feet. He wouldn't give Bellatrix the satisfaction of knowing how badly she'd hurt him. He swayed, but managed to stay on his feet. His left eye was now completely swollen shut, but he could still see out of his right eye.

Bellatrix glided over to him. "Such a handsome boy, it's too bad we don't have more time together."

To his disgust, she cupped his cheek in her hand. So help him, if she did anything else he was going to throw up on her. Instead, she struck him across the face. "Once my Lord no longer has any use of you, we will have fun, you and I."

"I will die first," Harry said honestly.

She laughed. "You will only wish to die."

* * *

Ginny crowded into an alcove across from the large ballroom. Tears spilled silently down her face as she listened to the monster she'd befriended as a child torture her boyfriend. Looking around the deserted corridor, she realized she had a chance to explore the house.

Wordlessly, she cast a Silencing Charm on her feet to ensure she didn't make any noise. Sticking to shadows, she made her way down the corridor. She wasn't sure how well her Invisibility Cloak and Disillusionment Charms would hold; she knew neither were infallible. She also knew that she was the only one who even knew that Harry had been captured, much less where he was.

The corridor led to the front of the house and a much larger corridor traversing the width of the house. Retracing her steps, she walked past the ballroom where she was pleased to find a much smaller servants' hall. She hurried down the quieter corridor. The first two rooms she peeked into were both occupied. Thankfully they didn't seem to notice the door opening slightly. She imagined they were used to the house elves scooting in and out of the rooms.

The last room was a rather small room by the standards of this house. It appeared to be a child's school room. It was colourfully decorated with a large mural against the far wall. Ginny thought it depicted the Trojan horse, but she wasn't certain. What really captured her attention was the large fireplace. The face of the fireplace was white brick. Bricks decorated with children's books' characters were interspersed with the white brick. It gave the room a whimsical look.

Ginny hurried over to the fireplace and was grateful to see green flames indicating the fireplace was connected to the Floo Network. If she couldn't get out another way, this was a good back up plan.

She heard the commotion in the hallway and peeked out in time to see Harry being pushed down the corridor towards what she presumed was the dungeon. Her heart stopped at the sight of him, he was bloodied and shaky on his feet. Determination filled her, she would get him out. She just wasn't sure how yet. The house had an Anti-Apparition ward around it, Ginny had tested that while she was still in the outside courtyard.

She left the cheerful little room and headed back to the servants' corridor. A door leading out to the back garden was at the end of the hall. A cupboard stood just inside the door. Ginny opened the cupboard and bit back a cheer. Malfoy's old Comet Two Sixty was stashed in the back of cupboard. Ginny supposed he'd just left it there when his father had gotten him his Nimbus 2001.

Leaving the broom where it was, she hurried down the rough stone steps that seemed to lead to the dungeon. She supposed that the servants needed to access to the dungeons as well. The sound of Harry's screams echoed through the dungeon. Ginny wanted to rush to him, but managed to restrain herself.

She sank down on the bottom step and curled up under the Invisibility Cloak. Tears streamed down her face and she buried her face in her arms as she sobbed silently listening to Harry's screams. They seemed to go forever, but eventually Ginny realized it was now silent in the dungeon.

Ginny stood silently and renewed both the Silencing Charm and Disillusionment Charm before venturing towards where she thought they were holding Harry. To her relief, it wasn't far to the corner that held Harry's cell. She wanted to rage when she saw the blood dripping from the whip that had been rehung on the wall. She noticed Harry's wand on the shelf and she grabbed it, tucking it into one of her empty pockets.

She was a bit surprised there was no guard at the cell, but she supposed they didn't expect he would be in any shape to move. She frowned as she looked at the lock. The unlocking charm was not one she'd ever managed to perform silently.

Taking a deep breath, she pointed her wand at the lock and quietly said, _"Alohomora_."

To her relief, the lock clicked open easily. Looking down the corridor to ensure she was indeed alone, she hurried into the cell. Harry was unconscious, laying on the rough stone ledge.

"Baby," she whispered. She tried to gently turn him over, but before she could do anything else a noise sounded in the corridor. Panicking for a moment, Ginny sent a quick spell closing the cell door and backed up against the wall hiding in the shadows.

It was Professor Snape who strode down the corridor and into the cell. "Idiot boy, he stands up there and insults me, and I am supposed to help him."

He turned Harry over, much more roughly than Ginny would have, and somewhat roughly smacked his face. "Potter! Wake up!"

Harry groaned and tried to open his eyes. Ginny watched anxiously as Snape pulled several vials of potion from his robes. He poured them down Harry's throat and ordered Harry to swallow. "Those should help you."

More gently than Ginny expected, Snape conjured up a wet flannel and cleaned the blood off Harry's face. He murmured a spell she was not familiar with to conjure up a splint and set Harry's arm. Placing a Cushioning Charm on the stone ledge, he rolled Harry over onto his stomach. Ginny felt the bile rising in her throat at the damage done by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Damn that woman!" Snape said angrily. Ginny looked at him in surprise. He actually looked a bit concerned about Harry.

Snape looked between the corridor and the flannel in his hand. He seemed to come to a decision. Standing, he used to wand to hose the blood off Harry's back.

Harry screamed as the water hit his back, but thankfully fell silent. The blood ran off his back and onto the floor. Once his back was clean, Snape waved his wand over the boy's back and muttered some charms Ginny didn't recognize. The wounds didn't close, but the bleeding stopped and Harry seemed more comfortable, so Ginny thought maybe one of the charms was a numbing charm.

"That's the best I can do," Snape said. He looked down at the boy almost regretfully. Ginny couldn't make sense of his attitude. Turning abruptly, he strode off. Waiting a few minutes, Ginny crept over to Harry.

"Sweetie, can you hear me?" she whispered.

Harry looked around in a daze. "Ginny."

"I'm here, baby."

"No, no, no." Harry moaned.

"Sshh." She soothed. "Sweetie, you have to be quiet. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded. Ginny gazed down at him unsure how aware he was of what was going on. He looked a tiny bit better after Snape had healed him slightly. She wanted to give him a Pepperup Potion, but she wasn't sure how it would react with the other potions Snape had given him. While she really had no idea of his motivation, Snape had definitely helped Harry.

Ginny looked at the cell door uncertainly. Ideally she'd like to give time for Snape's potions to work, but on the other hand she wasn't sure if it wouldn't be better to move him now. She tip-toed over to the cell door and noticed the hallway was clear once again.

Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door once again. She hoisted Harry to his feet and cast a Silencing Charm on him. Reaching into one of her pockets, she pulled Harry's Invisibility Cloak out and threw it over him while keeping a hand on his arm. She half dragged and half pulled him along. It took an agonizingly long time to make it back to the servants' corridor.

Ginny looked despairingly up the long staircase. Ordinarily, she wouldn't think twice about jogging up the stairs, but dragging Harry she knew it would take a long time. Slowly the two managed to climb the stairs. Twice Harry almost fell, but Ginny caught him in time. It was very slow going, but at last they were at the top.

Letting Harry rest against the wall at the top of the stairs, Ginny pondered her options. She could make it to the school room, but she didn't know where to Floo. Part of her was tempted to Floo to her brothers' shop in London, but she knew if she was spotted or followed she would be in a lot of trouble.

A slithering sound caught her ears. She froze as Nagini slithered down the hall. The snake stopped within a meter of them, her tongue flicking in and out as though she was trying to figure something out. Ginny looked over at Harry and prayed he would remain silent. She didn't think he was aware enough to realize the danger they were in.

A sibilant hissing filled the air. Ginny recognized Parseltongue, but this time she didn't understand any of the words. Harry stirred at snake's words, but to Ginny's relief he didn't respond. After a few harrowing moments, Nagini slithered out into the courtyard. Ginny's eyes widened as the snake left via a pet door that she hadn't even noticed until now. A bit of hysterical laughter welled up in her and she had to bite her cheek so she wouldn't laugh out loud.

Ginny waited a few minutes, her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. Once she thought Nagini was gone, she cautiously opened the door. When nothing happened, she pulled open the cupboard door and retrieved the broom she'd seen earlier.

Carefully, she mounted the broom and helped Harry to mount the broom behind her. She performed a fastening charm she'd seen her mother use to secure children to their brooms. Once she was certain Harry was safely on behind her, she took off.

She flew high to leave both the Death Eaters and Nagini far behind. As she looked down at the expensive estate, she was momentarily saddened that it was being used for so much evil. Looking around, she couldn't tell where she was, all she could tell was it on the outskirts of a city. She tried to remember if she'd ever heard where the Malfoys lived, but she couldn't. In the end she looked up and searched for the North Star.

Following the North Star, she flew as fast as she could. It was cold, but she didn't want to stop to cast a warming charm. They weren't being followed at the moment, but she couldn't count on that to last. A loud roaring noise took her by surprise. Looking around, she screamed as she saw a large white aeroplane descending. It was probably a good kilometre away, but it was huge. She looked down at the ground and realized the large area that was lighting up the night was an airport. Looking up she bit back another scream at the number of planes flying high above her. Just seeing them above her was scary.

Turning, she headed in a north western direction until she felt she was out of the path of any planes. More scared than she remembered being in a long time, she soon left the city and the scary aeroplanes far behind her. To her dismay, many of the areas she was flying over were populated.

Looking down, she spotted an old castle. It seemed to be empty at night, so she flew into the central courtyard of the castle. As she landed, she noticed signs indicating they were at Warwick Castle.

Climbing off the broom, she shot a worried look at Harry. He roused slightly when they landed and Ginny quickly released him from his bonds. His skin felt warm and his cheeks were bright red. Ginny realized that he was running a fever.

"Madam."

Whirling around, Ginny saw an Elizabethan-looking gentleman approaching her. Calming herself, she nodded to him. "Good evening, sir. I'm sorry if I have trespassed on your lands. My friend is ill."

"Aye, he is quite ill," the man said, looking at Harry. "May I offer my assistance, dear lady?"

Ginny looked at the courtly ghost. Could he really help? While she wanted to get Harry back to the cottage, she would be on her own once she arrived. "That would be very nice, sir."

The man smiled. "Wonderful. I am Sir Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke."

"I'm Ginny Weasley and this is my boyfriend, Harry Potter." Ginny said.

A noise sounded across the courtyard. Sir Greville said, "Hurry, Madam. The Muggle manservant who sees to security is preparing to make his rounds. Do you see the top of that tower?"

Ginny nodded. Sir Greville said, "Can you Apparate up there?"

Nodding, Ginny held onto Harry tightly and Apparated as instructed. The room at the top of the tower was a hexagonal guardroom. The thick stone walls hid them from any security personnel. A large wooden table was in the centre of the room.

"This way," Sir Greville said, gesturing towards a shimmering wall. Recognizing the magical energy in the wall, Ginny levitated Harry in front of her and followed the ghost. He led her along a completed section of wall and into a tower not visible from the grounds. They travelled down the steps to a large round room.

Ginny almost cried when she saw it was set up as a bedroom. She quickly got Harry settled in the large bed.

"There are some medicinal herbs as well as the strange potions Muggles use in the kitchens, my lady," Sir Greville said. He gestured to another ghost who had just joined them. "Lady Anne will be happy to look after your betrothed while we are gone."

Ginny smiled gratefully at the woman who nodded briefly at her. "Thank you, my lady."

Following the ghostly shape of Sir Greville, Ginny made her way down to the kitchen. Sir Greville was able to instruct her in disabling the security system and they entered a large kitchen. It was rather a hybrid of Muggle and Magical kitchens. Ginny found some broth that she heated with her wand. The large commercial refrigerator held many bottles of water, so Ginny grabbed several of them. She found a loaf of bread that she sliced and buttered. While she was preparing some food, Sir Greville was searching the kitchen for potions.

"Here is some yarrow tea and willow bark, my lady. They will be good for your man."

Ginny recognized the ingredients and quickly brewed them into a tea. While the tea steeped, Sir Greville pointed to another jar of ingredients.

"This is agrimony. It can be made into a poultice to help with bleeding."

Thanking her mother for forcing her to make many poultices for her brothers, Ginny quickly chopped and ground the agrimony and added some more willow bark to the ground herbs. She slowly added some warm water until it was a paste like consistency.

She put the paste in a bowl and, rummaging through the drawers, she found a soft cloth appropriate for a poultice. A few waves of her wand cleaned the counters and returned the kitchen to its previous state of cleanliness.

Loading everything onto a large tray that Sir Greville found for her, she retraced her steps back up to the tower room. She found Lady Anne singing softly to Harry. He was either sleeping or unconscious, she wasn't sure which.

"Harry, love."

He opened his eyes, but they were glazed with fever. His skin was so pale; she really wished she had Blood Replenishing Potions. Climbing up on the bed with him, she managed to get most of the tea and some broth in him before he fell back asleep. She hoped he'd gotten enough of the herbs to bring down his fever. Wetting two of the towels she'd brought back, she lay one on his forehead and, getting him to turn over, lay the other on the back of his neck.

Lady Anne gasped at the sight of the whip marks on Harry's back. "Poor lad, it must have been an evil one who caused this."

Ginny nodded as she blinked back tears. "Very evil."

Sir Greville interrupted them. "Madam I don't mean to upset your sensibilities, but I believe you should remove his trousers as well. They appear to be covered with some sort of filth."

Blushing, Ginny vanished his trousers, thankful that his underpants seemed to be in one piece. Ginny quickly levitated Harry off the bed and pulled off the sheet that had been under him. To her relief there was another sheet underneath that.

Lady Anne smiled. "This was my bedchamber. I was rather ill towards the end, so the bed is well layered. But don't worry, my lady, my son kept the linens fresh while he lived."

"Thank you," Ginny said as she settled Harry back on the bed. She spread the poultice paste on the soft cloth and lay it on his back. Some of the wounds were already looking red and inflamed. Harry seemed to relax a bit into the bed as he fell back asleep.

"Have some bread and tea, my lady," Lady Anne said gently. "We will watch over you until morning."

"Thank you," Ginny said gratefully. She managed to eat several slices of bread and butter and drank two bottles of water before she lay back onto the bed. She didn't want to get too close to Harry, but the bed was so comfortable she soon fell asleep.

* * *

Dumbledore looked up as Severus burst into his office. Albus leapt to his feet when he saw the shape the younger man was in. He knew Severus had left for an unexpected meeting in the late afternoon and hadn't returned until the early morning hours.

"Severus, are you all right, my boy?" Albus asked in concern.

"I will be fine," Severus replied. "It's Potter. Somehow Lucius managed to capture him yesterday."

"What?!" Albus was shocked. "Where is he? How is he?"

"Unfortunately, I do not know," Severus replied. "Lucius had a contact in Wales somewhere, I'm not certain where. Somehow he knew they were in Wales, again I'm not certain how. He's been searching Northern Wales for quite some time now. He does an excellent job of cultivating those who are vulnerable. He somehow found a boy who had some sort of potions problem and fell behind on his payments to his dealer. The boy told Lucius that Potter was staying on the farm where his brother worked – I think the fool was trying to make a deal with Lucius, but that never works out well. Lucius has investigated several rumours of Potter's whereabouts, but they usually don't turn out to be anything. This time he took a few Death Eaters to this farm with him and actually returned with Potter.

"The Dark Lord questioned Potter about the prophecy, but of course Potter didn't know anything about it. The Dark Lord decided to have Lucius take Potter to the Ministry tomorrow…well, today I guess, and retrieve the prophecy."

Dumbledore stared at the younger man in shock. Severus didn't seem to notice. He continued, "Bellatrix played with Potter for a bit. Luckily for him, she wasn't allowed to cause permanent damage. I was able to see him afterwards and heal him a bit. I'd planned to come and let you know what was happening, but Potter of course didn't do as expected. He escaped somehow."

"Thank Merlin," Dumbledore breathed.

"The Dark Lord was not pleased. I am just lucky that Crabbe checked the door as I left and he is being blamed for not locking the door. Nagini reported she thought there were invisible people in the house, but she didn't think that was possible, so she thought she imagined it."

"People?" Dumbledore questioned.

Severus nodded as he accepted the cup of tea Dumbledore offered him. "I believe Miss Weasley was somehow able to rescue him. It is the only thing that makes sense."

"Did anyone see her?"

Severus shook his head. "Flint, one of our new recruits, went to the farm with Lucius and he was one of the three left to search the farm. His story is he went upstairs and was attacked by an unknown and unseen force who stunned him and stole his Portkey. Of course, he didn't admit this until hours later under the Dark Lord's encouragement."

"So you believe she used the Portkey to get to the house?"

"Yes, it is the only way anyone could have gotten through all of the enchantments and such around the manor. I don't know how she escaped with him. None of the Floos were used and there are Anti-Apparition wards around the manor. He was in no shape to aid in his escape." He faltered for the first time looking up at his mentor. "I don't know exactly what Bellatrix did to him, but I know she certainly whipped him. I stopped his bleeding, but I didn't dare heal him. I made him more comfortable, but he will need medical care."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and shook his head at the image his imagination conjured up. "Could Miss Weasley have reversed the Portkey?"

"I don't believe so," Severus answered. "I visited the farm. The farmhand and his brother were left dead in the yard. There are signs that two other people were living there other than the owner, but nothing to indicate who they were."

"What sort of signs?" Dumbledore asked.

"The two other bedrooms were lived in – the beds had been used and two types of shampoo in the bathroom. However, there were no personal items left in the rooms. If it was Miss Weasley, she must have packed quickly." Severus handed him a paper with coordinates. "This is the location of the farm. If you would like to have your Aurors investigate, I would suggest you do so quickly. The Dark Lord might go back and retaliate."

* * *

Tonks and Kingsley worked with the local police department in investigating the murders of Dafydd and his brother, Elfred. The prevalent theory was that Elfred, who had been known to have problems with drugs, had fallen in with the wrong crowd. Presumably, he had been killed by this crowd and his brother was killed when he tried to intervene. To the Aurors it was close enough to the truth.

Kingsley walked up to the larger of the two guest bedrooms where Tonks was examining the room. She was leaving the ensuite when he arrived. "Find anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing in particular, just like Snape reported. There is shampoo and conditioner in the shower and a toothbrush in the medicine cabinet, but nothing personal."

"I found out the farm is owned by a Mrs Carys Astley. This was her husband's family farm. He was killed in a farming accident over fifteen years ago. She owns and runs an antique store in Rhyl, but she usually stays here on the farm in the winter months. She has a manager who runs in shop in her absence. The detective tells me that she is on a buying trip – she left on Monday," Kingsley reported.

"We need to find her," Tonks said. She looked around to make certain they were alone. "Mrs Astley appears to have been a practising witch." She gestured to the light switches on the walls. "Those are just for show, the house doesn't appear to be wired for electricity. In the kitchen I noticed the cold cupboard resembles a Muggle refrigerator from the outside."

"That's ingenious," Kingsley said admiringly. "So she is a witch who seems to work well with Muggles."

Tonks nodded. "Do we know about the brothers?"

"They are magical as well," Kingsley said. "I found this on Dafydd." He held up a broken wand. "Elfred shows signs of potion abuse, so that backs up Snape's story."

The two quickly searched the two bedrooms and came up empty. In the sitting room, they found the first hint that Harry and Ginny had been there. On an end table, they found a Charms book with notes in what Tonks thought was Ginny's handwriting. Flipping through the book, she smiled when she saw a stylized HP inside a heart in the margin of the book. She showed it to Kingsley.

He nodded and continued around the room. "Look at this." He held up a framed picture of Harry and Ginny standing with their arms around each other. She was wearing a green dress and he was nicely dressed up as well. Kingsley removed the picture from the frame and flipped the picture over and read – _Harry and Ginny – Valentine's Day 1997._

Harry was recognizable to those who'd seen recent pictures of him. He was tall and fit with broad shoulders and lean muscles. His dark hair was just past his collar and his green eyes sparkled from behind his contacts. His scar was not visible, but Harry Potter was easily found in the pictures if you looked closely enough.

Ginny looked elegant with her brown hair piled up on top of her head. Her makeup was expertly applied and in all honesty she looked several years older than her fifteen years. Tonks had a hard time finding her young friend in the elegant young woman in the picture.

"They look good," Tonks said after studying the picture for a few moments.

"They do, but he is a bit too recognizable," Kingsley said. He took the picture back from Tonks and created several copies. "I'm going to talk to the Weasleys. Do you want to talk to Sirius?"

Tonks nodded and after securing the premises, she headed to her cousin's house.

* * *

Harry's moans woke Ginny the next morning. She could tell from the light coming in the window in was mid-morning. Lady Anne remained sitting in the chair next to the bed. She was humming softly and trying to comfort Harry.

Sitting up quickly, Ginny threw the comforter off and scrambled over to Harry's side. He was shivering and moaning.

"He's woken up a few times, Miss Ginny," Lady Anne reported. "At one point he seemed to be having pain in his head. I thought maybe he was having a fit."

Glancing over at the side of the bed, Ginny realized that Harry had thrown up during the night. She quickly vanished the mess, glad that Carys had drilled that spell into her. Using the basin of water from the night before, Ginny bathed Harry's face. His left eye was swollen shut, but he opened his right eye and seemed to focus on her.

"Gin?"

"I'm here, Harry," Ginny said soothingly.

He looked about in confusion. "Are we safe?"

"We are safe," she reassured him.

"What did I give you for Valentine's Day?" he asked weakly.

"My ring," she smiled holding up her left hand. He relaxed slightly, but still looked miserable. Pulling her wand out of her pocket, Ginny cast the spell to take his temperature. She frowned when a 39.2 lit up over his head.

Reaching for an unopened bottle of water, she helped him sit up and gave him two of the Cuprofen tablets she'd brought with her, hoping to reduce his fever as well as help with the pain. "Here you go, love. Take these. I didn't want to give you any pills last night as you weren't very awake."

Obediently, Harry swallowed the tablets and drank quite a bit of the water. He moved gingerly in obvious pain. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Ginny asked him.

"Voldemort and Bellatrix," Harry said after a moment. "Is that why my back hurts so much?"

Ginny nodded. "I did what Carys taught us and I packed up all of our belongings. I stunned one of the Death Eaters and took his Portkey." She quickly explained their escape and finding shelter at Warwick Castle.

He watched her steadily and reached out a shaky hand for hers. "Thank you. I know that's not enough to say, but you are amazing. I can't believe you snuck me out of there."

She blushed under his praise. "I just did what I had to do. I couldn't leave you there."

She squeezed his hand. "It was so hard just listening to what that horrid woman was doing to you. I wanted to stop her so badly, but I kept hearing Carys' voice in my head telling me to wait until she was gone."

"Bellatrix…" Harry shuddered. "She's psychotic. I mean Voldemort's evil, but he has some remnant of …I don't know... something. She's just…I thought she was going to kiss me at one point and I knew if she did I would just throw up on her."

Leaning over, Ginny placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm glad she didn't try anything else."

Climbing out of bed, Ginny walked over to the window. She could see from the people on the grounds the castle was open for visitors. Looking over at Lady Anne, she asked, "Have any magical visitors found this tower?"

"Not in many years," Lady Anne assured her. "Almost all of our visitors these days are Muggles."

By this time Harry had struggled to put his legs over the side of the bed. He blushed when he realized his trousers were gone. Ginny noticed that.

"Sorry, I had to get rid of your trousers, they were covered with…I don't know... some kind of ick."

"I understand," Harry said. He stood up and pulled one of the sheets with him, wrapping it around him. He was still shivering, but he looked determined. "We should head out. I'd hate for us to be traced here."

Ginny grabbed the Invisibility Cloaks as well as the remainder of the paste she'd made the night before. Harry looked at her in confusion when she picked up the Comet. "Where did that come from?"

She laughed, "It was in the cupboard; I think it must have been Malfoy's. He probably wouldn't use it after his father bought them all Nimbus 2001s." She held out Harry's wand. "I think you'll need this."

Relief lit Harry's face. "Oh, thank God. I thought I wouldn't get this back."

"I don't know why they didn't break it, but I'm glad they didn't," Ginny said as she vanished the tray and the dishes she'd used last night. Following Lady Anne's instructions, she remade the bed and cleaned up the room.

Smiling at Lady Anne, she said, "Thank you so much for all of your help and please thank Sir Greville for us as well."

"You are quite welcome and I shall pass on your thanks to Sir Greville. He always likes to keep watch over the visitors so he is out on the grounds this morning. It was quite pleasant to have guests in the castle once again." Lady Anne smiled as the young couple. She gazed at Harry quite seriously. "It seems that many wrongs were done to you. I have heard of you as a vanquisher of great evil and I have been vastly pleased by what I have learned of your character whilst you were here. I know as ghosts we may not be of much aid, but if you have need of our assistance, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, my Lady," Harry said sincerely.

Ginny took Harry's arm and Apparated them to the cottage. Harry swayed when they arrived and to his dismay he vomited all over the floor. Ginny quickly vanished the mess and hurried him into bed. He fell asleep almost right away.

Relieved to be somewhere she felt safe, Ginny cast the security charms Carys had taught them. Once she was done, she walked around the perimeter of the house and secured all of the windows and the doors with locking and privacy charms.

Feeling grimy after the past day, Ginny showered and changed before heading into the kitchen. She looked through the supplies she'd hurriedly purchased the day before. As she looked at the food, she realized how hungry she actually was.

Pulling a skillet out from the cabinets, she made some scrambled eggs and bacon. Half of the food she placed on a plate that she put under a warming charm for Harry, the other half she carried to the small kitchen table.

She could see the lake in the distance and relaxed for the first time in over twenty four hours. Just being in the Lake District she found very calming. She wondered about Carys and hoped that someone would be able to warn her before she returned home.

* * *

Sirius stared at his cousin in shock. He sank down onto the couch in his sitting room. Tonks sat across from him in an armchair.

"It sounds like he was hurt quite badly," Sirius said shakily.

Tonks nodded. She always hated giving bad news to relatives, but somehow giving the news to her cousin was much worse. Before she could say anything else, Dobby hurried in with a tea tray.

After pouring a cup of tea, she poured a vial of Draught of Peace into the cup and handed it to her cousin. Thanking her, he drank deeply.

"So what is being done to find them?"

"We've had people patrolling Mayfair in an attempt to find them. We don't know exactly how they escaped. Snape doesn't think Harry could have escaped on foot, but if they flew out, they could be anywhere. We have an increased presence on Diagon Alley. Emmeline talked to the Weasley brothers and she was going to head to Little Whinging and talk to Mrs Figg as well. I don't think Harry would head there, but you never know," Tonks explained.

"I'm sure he wouldn't have gone there, especially if he was injured," Sirius affirmed.

He looked down at the picture Tonks had just handed him and smiled. "They look good and very happy."

"That's what I said," Tonks said. "Hestia is looking for the woman who owns the farm, Mrs Carys Astley."

"So they were in Wales?" Sirius asked musingly. "I guess that's why we didn't find them." He shook his head, "You don't have to childmind me. I'm sure you have things to do."

As Tonks let herself out, she saw Sirius heading into his study where he had the large map on the wall.

* * *

Harry woke feeling slightly better. Staggering to his feet, he pulled on his dressing gown that Ginny had laid out on his bed. After a rather necessary stop in the loo, he made his way downstairs. He found the plate of eggs and bacon on the kitchen counter.

Taking the food with him, he found Ginny at the table. "Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

He shrugged. "Not as bad as before, but my back still hurts."

Ginny frowned, "It must hurt if you're admitting it."

Standing, she found the bottle of pills that she'd given him earlier. If she was reading the instructions correctly, he could have two more pills now. She handed him the pills and he took them without complaint. Somehow, Ginny didn't think that was really a good thing.

He looked at the stairs and then said, "I'm going to kip on the couch for a while."

"Okay, love. I'm going into town to get a few more supplies," Ginny said. She helped him get settled on the couch, arranging a pillow behind his head and spreading a blanket over him.

He woke a bit later shivering and honestly feeling awful. He shakily sat up. It was a bit difficult with his arm in a sling, but he managed it. Making his way into the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water and climbed the stairs. His legs felt weak and shaky as he reached the top; he was honestly thankful he didn't fall on his way down.

Leaning against the wall, he rested for a moment before heading to the bedroom. Although he was still shivering, he opened the window. He felt the need of fresh air. He sank down on the window seat and curled up with a large blanket from the bed.

Peering outside, he looked to see if he could see Ginny, but there was no one around the cottage. The sight of the brilliant blue lake made him smile. He loved the Lake District; he hadn't realized that Ginny had chosen a house in the Lake District as one of her safe houses.

It was a bit early for boats on the lake, but the scenery was as beautiful as he remembered. He smiled as he watched some bird dive into the lake. A flash of white caught his eye. He shook his head, could it really be?

"Hedwig?" his voice was hoarse and low, but the bird turned. Harry stared at the white bird, willing it to come closer to him. He could barely open his left eye and his vision was a bit blurry, so he couldn't see the bird very clearly.

As the bird neared, Harry's eye widened. "Hedwig," he repeated in wonder.

He watched in amazement as the owl flew in the open window. She flew up to him hooting in joy. She flapped her wings and nuzzled her beak in his hair. He shakily lifted his good hand and touched her soft feathers. He half expected he was hallucinating, so he was thrilled to actually touch her. He felt his eyes pricking as he gingerly hugged his owl.

"I have missed you so much, girl." Harry said lowly. He shakily stood up and made his way over to the bed. Hedwig followed him closely and perched herself on the bed next to him. He kept one of his hands on his owl as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Ginny Apparated to the secluded side of the cottage and unlocked the door with her wand. She'd Apparated closer to town, but she'd still had a bit of a walk to the store. She put the food and water away in the refrigerator and headed upstairs to check on Harry.

She gasped when she saw Hedwig on the bed next to Harry. "Hedwig?"

Hedwig flew over to her, hooting quietly. To Ginny it seemed as though the bird were chastising her. "I know," Ginny whispered. "He's really sick."

Quickly making her way over to the bed, Ginny checked his temperature as was dismayed to find it had risen to 40.3. He stirred slightly when she pulled back the covers, but didn't wake up. She knew his arm needed more treatment than she was able to provide, but that wasn't her biggest concern. Blood was showing through the shirt on his back. Frowning, she vanished his shirt.

She gasped at what she found. The welts left by the whip were angry and red looking and she feared that some of them were infected by the look of them. Several of the welts were oozing blood.

Ginny sank down on the edge of the bed. She knew Harry needed medical help, but she didn't know what to do. She could have him treated in a Muggle hospital, but she wasn't sure how much they could help him. Besides, how on earth could she have explained his injuries?

Hedwig hooted again, capturing Ginny's attention. She looked at the bird. "How did you get here? I thought you'd be with Ron. Can you get help?"

Hooting a bit impatiently, Hedwig stared at Ginny with her large amber eyes. Ginny rummaged through her bags until she found a bit of parchment and a quill. She considered what to write and quickly dashed off a note and gave it to Hedwig.

"Can you get someone to help us?"

Gently nipping Ginny's finger, Hedwig flew over Harry brushing his face with her wing before heading out the window. Quickly repacking everything just in case someone followed Hedwig that she didn't want, Ginny headed down to the ground floor to wait.

* * *

Sirius looked up as Bill stepped through the Floo. He smiled tiredly. "Hello."

"Hi, I came to see how you were holding up," Bill said as he dropped into his favourite chair.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not sure actually. I…I'm glad he's been seen and I'm glad he escaped the Death Eaters, but I really wish we knew where he was. Snape said Harry was hurt quite badly." He shook his head. "He couldn't help him more because he didn't want to give away his position. What position? He never seems to be able to help or provide timely information."

He sighed. "How are your parents taking the news?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "I don't really know. I talked to my dad and I could hear my mum wailing in the background. All dad said was she was rather emotional. I did talk to Fred and George. None of us have seen any signs that they tried to contact us, but I did see several Death Eaters loitering about on Diagon Alley. It just disgusts me that my sister can't come home, but those…murderers can walk around free."

"I know," Sirius said sadly. "It's so frustrating."

A fluttering of wings drew their attention to Hedwig who flew straight to Sirius and dropped a note in his lap.

_Help! Please follow Hedwig. She knows where we are._

Sirius jumped to his feet. "Come on, we need to go."

Not asking any questions, Bill followed his friend. They followed Hedwig down to the lake and over to the west side of the lake.

"Up there," Bill said as Hedwig circled around one of the holiday cottages up the hill.

After making certain no one was watching them, the two men Apparated behind the cottage. They both drew their wands, Sirius standing watch while Bill rapidly cast several spells.

"There are two people in the house," Bill said after a moment, "one upstairs and one on the ground floor. There are protective charms around the house, but I don't detect any traps or defences."

Nodding, Sirius gestured for Bill cover him and walked up to the door. He knocked at the door and stepped back, holding his wand loosely at his side.

The door opened cautiously, revealing Ginny holding her wand at him. She looked quite relieved to see him, but she didn't lower her wand.

"Where did you first see Harry after you left Azkaban?" she asked.

"I scared him when he was running away from his aunt and uncle's house, but the first time I talked to him we were in the Shrieking Shack," Sirius responded promptly.

She lowered her wand and hugged him. "I am so glad to see you. I need help."

Sirius hugged her tightly, before he said, "There's someone else here who would like to say hi to you."

She looked up at him in confusion until she saw her brother step out of the bushes. With a big smile she jumped down the front steps and threw her arms around her brother. He lifted her in the air and twirled her around before kissing her on the cheek and setting her down.

"I have missed you so much," she said with a smile. Pulling on her brother's hand, she led both him and Sirius into the house. "I have so much to tell you, but first you need to help Harry."

"Snape told Dumbledore what happened," Sirius said as he followed her up the stairs.

She didn't seem too surprised by that. "He helped Harry. I don't know exactly what he did, but he splinted Harry's arm and gave him some potions."

Pushing open the bedroom door, she let Sirius go ahead of her. He gasped when he saw the shape Harry was in. "Oh, my poor boy!"

"I think some of those have gotten infected," Ginny said, gesturing to Harry's back. "I put a poultice on his back, but all I've had to give him is some pain medicine. He keeps running fevers and he gets the chills and I really didn't know what else to do."

"You've done great," Bill said soothingly as he draped his arm around his sister's shoulders. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

Sirius was gently running his fingers through Harry's hair. "I think you're right, Ginny. What happened to his arm?"

"I think Lucius Malfoy broke his arm," was the reply.

"We need to get the two of you back to my house," Sirius said. He turned and looked at the other two. "I have a house just on the other side of the lake. I have a room already set up for Harry. How about I take him there and Bill will bring you?"

Ginny looked between the two men and nodded. "Okay. I packed up our bags in case we had to leave quickly."

Bill picked up both of the bags and held out his arm for his sister. He waited until Sirius gathered Harry gently in his arms and Disapparated. "Is there anything else we need to get?"

"I just bought some food," Ginny said. "It's down in the refrigerator."

"I'll come back and get it," Bill said. Holding tightly onto his sister, he Disapparated to Sirius' house.

Bill led Ginny upstairs and set their bags down in the room Sirius had decorated with Ginny in mind before heading into Harry's room.

Harry's room was the biggest room after Sirius' and it was decorated in red and gold. There was a large four poster bed in the centre of the room and a chest of drawers against the walls. The far wall had large picture windows that captured the best of the view. The wall across from Harry's bed had a large stone fireplace. Ginny smiled when she saw the large framed picture of James and Lily over the fireplace.

Sirius looked over at Bill as they entered the room. "He needs professional help."

"Should we have Andromeda look at him?" Bill asked.

"Who's that?" Ginny asked a touch suspiciously.

"My cousin, Tonks' mother," Sirius said as he watched his godson. He shook his head. "I think it should be someone he knows."

* * *

Poppy Pomfrey was in her office taking inventory of her potions when her fire flared. To her surprise, it was Sirius Black in her fire. While she would never admit it, James, Sirius, and Remus had been three of her favourite students.

"Hello," Poppy said. She could see from the look on his face that something was wrong.

"Can I come through?" he asked abruptly.

"Of course," she said, rising to her feet.

He came through the fire and she could see bloodstains on his shirt. He looked around her office and asked, "Are we alone?"

She nodded and he continued, "I was wondering if you could come to my house. I have a guest who is very badly injured and I really don't know what I can do."

"Is it Remus?"

Sirius shook his head, but didn't say more. She gathered he didn't want to explain more here in the infirmary.

She started gathering potions to take with her. "Can you tell me what you think is wrong with this person?"

"He has a broken arm and has some wounds that look like they're infected," Sirius said.

Adding a few more potions to her basket, she said, "Okay, I'm ready."

"My house is 'Coach House in Keswick'," Sirius said.

She followed him through the Floo to a rather charming house. He quickly led her up to a bedroom. She gasped when she saw Harry Potter on the bed. Her wand was out almost immediately. She clucked and shook her head when she read the damage that had been done to the poor boy. Harry was another one of those patients for whom she had a soft spot.

She quickly vanished the sling and, lining up the bones in his arm, cast a spell to start repairing the damage.

He stirred a bit and Poppy wasn't overly surprised when Ginny Weasley hurried over to his side. He opened one of his eyes; his left eye was swollen shut. He looked around in a bit of confusion, but calmed once he focused on the young girl.

"Ginny," he said hoarsely.

"I'm here, sweetie," she replied. "Madam Pomfrey is here to help you."

This time when he looked around, he realized who was there. "Madam Pomfrey."

"Hello, Harry," she said gently. "I'm going to heal your eye. Do you know what happened?"

"Got punched," he said simply.

"He's wearing contacts," Ginny said suddenly.

"Okay," Poppy said as she started to reduce the swelling. Once he was able to open his eye all the way, she said, "Harry can you roll over on your stomach for me? I need to look at your back."

"Hurts," he said simply.

"Your back hurts?"

He nodded.

"Let me see what I can do about that, okay?" Poppy said soothingly.

Harry rolled over and groaned at the effort. Ginny reached over to take one of his hands.

Poppy grimaced at the damage she saw to his back. She looked over at Ginny. "Do you know what happened?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange used a whip on him," Ginny said angrily. "Professor Snape cleaned off his back and gave him some potions, but I don't know what. I used a poultice of agrimony and willow bark last night and this morning. I've also been giving him Cuprofen tablets for the pain and fever."

"You've done very well," Poppy said. Looking down at Harry she said, "I need to clean these wounds and it is going to hurt."

He nodded in resignation, "Okay."

Sirius moved to the top of the bed to hold Harry's other hand while he stroked Harry's hair with his other hand.

Conjuring up pads to place around him, she used her wand to gently clean the wounds. Harry groaned and bit back a scream, but Poppy soldiered on. Once the wounds were clean, she lanced the pockets of infection around the wounds and gently used her wand to coat his back with a healing ointment. Reaching into her basket she covered the wounds with a large Telfa pad that she attached with a sticking charm around the edges.

"The ointment will help promote healing and by tomorrow I can close the wounds," Poppy said. "His arm should be healed in a few hours. I'm going to cast a numbing charm on his back so I can get a better look at his chest and abdomen."

Sirius and Ginny both nodded. Harry had passed out, so the other two gently helped him turn him onto his back. Poppy ran her wand over his torso, shaking her head as she did so. She started casting spells to heal the broken ribs, internal bruising, and bleeding she found.

Once she was done with the spell work she looked at Sirius. "Can you help him sit up?"

He did so very gently, resting the boy's head on his own shoulder. Poppy tilted his head back and emptied several vials of potions into his mouth, helping him to swallow with her wand.

"I've done all I can for now," Poppy said. She set a rack of potions on the nightstand and explained what they were and when to give them.

"Thank you so much," Sirius said.

"I'm glad to do what I can to help," Poppy said warmly. "Of course I cannot reveal to anyone who I have treated so you don't need to worry someone will discover his whereabouts from me. I can come by tomorrow afternoon and check up on him."

"Thank you, Poppy."

"I'll see you out," Bill Weasley spoke up for the first time.

* * *

"He looks a lot better," Ginny said softly.

Sirius smiled warmly at the girl. "You did a great job and as much as I want to hear where you've been, I bet you could use some sleep."

Ginny nodded. "I am tired. Yesterday was so awful." She looked up suddenly. "Someone needs to find Carys and let her know what happened. I don't know exactly where she is; she's on a buying trip."

"Don't worry," Sirius said. "Emmeline is out looking for her."

Looking around the room, Ginny asked, "Would you mind if I slept in here? He'll get upset if he can't find me."

"Of course," Sirius said gently.

She left the room to visit the loo and change into a comfortable pair of pyjamas. When she arrived back in Harry's room, she found that Sirius had enlarged the bed a bit and added extra pillows for her. Hedwig was sleeping on the top of the bed with her head tucked under her wing. Ginny climbed into bed and reached out for Harry's hand. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Sirius hurried down the stairs and met Bill returning from the study. "She gone?"

Bill nodded. "She's gone and I've double-checked the cottage and removed all the food that Ginny bought. I've reinforced the wards around this house and restricted the Floo to the two of us and Madam Pomfrey. I can add Remus if you want…"

"Not right now," Sirius said. "I want to talk to him before adding him back. I don't want to do anything to risk Harry."

The two men returned to Sirius' study. Sirius sat back with a sigh. "I can't believe we finally found them."

"I know," Bill said in amazement. He looked at the older man compassionately. "I'll keep watch over the house, why don't you go upstairs?"

Sirius nodded and loped up the stairs. He opened the door to Harry's room and found Dobby sitting quietly near the door.

The little elf smiled up at Sirius. "I will watch over Harry Potter."

"Thank you, Dobby," Sirius said sincerely. He looked over at the bed, scarcely able to believe his godson was actually here. Changing into Padfoot, he jumped onto the foot of the bed and curled up at his godson's feet.


	10. Chapter 10 The Prophecy

******A/N: Thank you so much to my beta StephanieO! I appreciate her hard work. Thank you to all of those who have sent messages of support. I have been rather ill and it has been difficult to write. I am slowly recovering and hope to soon be writing more quickly.**

* * *

_April 4, 1997 – April 26, 1997_

Ginny woke after several hours of restful sleep to find she was quite hungry. Sitting up carefully, she smiled at the sight of Padfoot curled up with Harry. Sometime while they'd been sleeping, Padfoot had moved up next to Harry who had one arm wrapped around the sleeping dog.

Slipping out of bed, she walked around the bed and kissed Harry on the forehead. To her relief, he felt much cooler to touch than he had earlier. His bruises were still very visible, but his eyes were no longer swollen. She peered down the back of his shirt and was relieved to see he was not bleeding from any of his wounds. She almost jumped when she noticed Dobby sitting on the floor of the room.

"Hi, Dobby," Ginny whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello Miss Wheezy," Dobby said quietly. "Dobby works for Master Black. Dobby is guarding Master and young Master Harry Potter."

"Thank you," Ginny said gratefully. "Is my brother still here?"

Dobby nodded. "Yes, Mr Bill Wheezy is downstairs."

Thanking Dobby again, Ginny quietly left the room. After a quick stop in the loo, she headed downstairs to find her brother. She found him in the sitting room, reading a book. Tears stung her eyes as she watched him, she was so happy to see him.

He looked up with a smile and opened his arms. She flew into his arms. "I missed you so much – all of you."

Hugging her tightly for a moment, he let go and she settled onto the couch next to him. "We all missed you, sweetie. We've been so worried about you."

She sighed, "It's been such an adventure, but we've really missed everyone. Christmas was so hard. One evening I drenched poor Harry in tears, I wanted to come home so badly."

Before he could reply, her stomach rumbled. She blushed and he laughed. "I take it you are hungry."

"I'm very hungry. I had some eggs and bacon earlier, but I'm really hungry all of a sudden."

Bill stood and held out his hand for his sister. "Come on. Let's find what Sirius has to eat."

He led the way into the kitchen and after rummaging around in the cold cupboard, he unearthed some left over roast beef. Ginny sliced up a loaf of thick, crusty bread as well a tomato and some lettuce while Bill sliced the beef and together the two assembled sandwiches. The siblings sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

"So how did you escape?" Bill asked. "Harry couldn't have been of much help."

Ginny took a bite of her sandwich as she tried to recall the details of their escape. "It was awful." She explained how she'd obtained the Portkey and followed the Death Eaters. "I could hear them torturing him, but I couldn't do anything about it. I waited until they finally left him alone. I couldn't believe that Snape of all people came and helped him."

"Snape helped him?"

Ginny nodded, "He conjured up a splint for his arm and gave him some potions. Once Snape left I was able to get Harry out of there." She smiled, "Malfoy actually helped us escape. I found Draco's old broom and flew us out of there on it." She explained their stop at Warwick castle and the helpful ghosts they'd found. "I am so glad we found you, because I don't know what I would have done."

Bill was staring at his sister in amazement. "Ginny, the fact that you were able to rescue him like that…I am so impressed and very proud of you."

Ginny blushed under her brother's praise. "Carys has been working with us on escaping bad situations and being prepared. That helped a whole lot. It was so hard not to rush in while they were hurting him, but I knew that I would just get captured as well so I waited." She looked over at her brother. "I was scared the whole time, but I kept thinking that if he could rescue me when he was only twelve and kill a Basilisk then I certainly had to try and rescue him now."

As both siblings had finished their sandwiches by that time, Bill quickly cleaned up with a few flicks of his wand and led his sister into the sitting room.

"So how did you end up with Sirius in the Lake Country?" Ginny asked as she settled into one of the large comfy armchairs that flanked the sofa.

Bill laughed. "It was a total coincidence that I was here when you sent that message. I wanted to check and see how he was doing after the news that Harry had been captured by the Death Eaters and had escaped. Snape brought Dumbledore the news this morning along with his supposition that you helped Harry to escape. Kingsley told mum and dad while Tonks came here to tell Sirius. He's been searching diligently for the two of you and following up every lead. He learned about the Friends of Lily network and we tracked you to Sheffield after the Dementor attacks. Sirius reasoned that you might have been in this area and we searched for months for any sign of you. While he was looking, he found this place and decided to buy it."

"Harry will like that," Ginny said. "He loved it here – we both did."

"Good," Bill said.

Ginny smiled as she looked out the window, the sun was starting to set and it looked beautiful. It was hard to believe that only that morning she'd awakened at Warwick Castle. Looking back at her brother she asked, "How is everyone? How are Mum and Dad?"

He made a face. "No one's been doing that well since you went missing, sweetie. Dad has been keeping us all together. He keeps reminding us that no news is good news and he's been certain all along that Harry would somehow manage to take care of you. Charlie's been home several times and has participated in the search for you. The twins have been helping look for you. Poor Ron, he's so worried about both of you. Mum…well, she's Mum."

"We read about her encouraging me to leave Harry," Ginny said a bit angrily.

"I'm so sorry about that," he said sincerely. "You know Mum, she worries and she tends to overreact. She doesn't really think that Harry would hurt you, but I think both Mum and Dumbledore kept thinking about the diary and your first year."

Ginny shivered slightly. "I can understand that to a degree, but what did they think - that Voldemort was controlling both of us?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Bill admitted. "Dumbledore has been most concerned that Voldemort can control Harry's actions. He has never really explained his reasoning beyond the fact that Voldemort and Harry have some sort of connection."

"I guess you can call it that," Ginny said. "He can sometimes see what Voldemort is seeing and his scar hurts when Voldemort has really strong emotions. He saw Voldemort set the snakes on Umbridge the night we ran from Hogwarts. Sometimes he sees things, other times he can tell if Voldemort is very happy or angry. It's horrible for him. He'll have these awful visions and some of the things he's seen…it's not good."

"Damn, that's rough."

Ginny nodded, "He gets the worst nightmares sometimes."

Bill watched his younger sister as they talked. He hadn't been able to spend a lot of time around Ginny recently, but he could see how much older and more mature she was since he'd last seen her. The thought crossed his mind that his mother wouldn't be very thrilled about that, but he quickly pushed that thought aside. He cast about for a lighter subject.

"You'll never guess who Ron was dating."

"Did he finally ask Hermione out?"

"No, not Hermione – he dated Susan Bones."

"Ron actually dated Susan Bones?" Ginny asked in amazement.

Bill nodded. "For quite a while, they started dating over the summer and they just broke up a month or two ago. It was after Valentine's Day, because he wrote me asking what he should do for Valentine's Day."

"I never saw that coming," Ginny said. "I can't ever remember seeing them together before."

Bill shrugged. "They spent a lot of time together over the summer. They were both at Headquarters a lot and I guess things progressed from there."

"Why was Susan at Headquarters?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Her aunt, Amelia Bones, was attacked in the beginning of August. We brought both Amelia and Susan to Headquarters. Susan spent a lot of time there with Ron and Neville while her aunt was recuperating. Neville's grandmother joined the order as well, so I think that was really good for Ron to have a good friend close by."

"What about Hermione?"

"Ron and Hermione had a big falling out just after you left," Bill explained. "From what I've heard, she was pressuring him to revise and he was worried about you. He thought she was being insensitive while she thought she was just trying to help him. I don't know exactly what happened, but they didn't talk for most of the summer."

Ginny made a face. "Hermione can be a bit intense about revising and I would imagine right before the OWLs she would be too much. Knowing Hermione, I bet she thought revising would be a good way to keep their minds off what was going on. Are they talking again?"

"Yes, they seem to be friends again."

Ginny shook her head. "Those two."

"So what about you and Mr Potter?" Bill gently teased.

Ginny blushed, but smiled broadly. "We started dating last June. He's…he's really sweet and he listens to me. He knows what it's like to fight Tom and have horrid nightmares. We started spending more time together. When we were in Inverness…well we were out one day and we were talking and he just leaned over and kissed me."

"I'm happy for you," Bill said with a smile. He reached over and lifted her left hand causing her ring to shine. "What is this?"

"A promise ring," Ginny replied a bit anxiously. "He gave it to me for Valentine's Day."

"It's beautiful," Bill said sincerely. He studied his baby sister for a few minutes. He couldn't get over how grown up she looked. "Are you happy?"

She nodded. "It's strange, but despite everything I am very happy. We've grown a lot closer and we just work so well together. He treats me so well and he really wants what's best for me. He was so happy for me when I Apparated for the first time, even though I did it before him. I know a lot of guys would be upset that I did it first, but Harry was just so proud of me."

"Good," Bill said with a smile. He stood up and held out his hand to his sister. "Come here, I want to show you something."

Ginny followed her brother into Sirius' study. She gasped when she realized what she was looking at. She walked up closer to the large map and the pictures of them that Sirius had pinned up on the wall. "Wow, you came really close to finding us."

Bill nodded. "We've been following up on all of the tips, but we never anticipated you ending up in Wales."

"I wish Malfoy hadn't," Ginny said sadly.

"So what was it like in a Muggle school?" Bill asked guiding his sister back to the sitting room.

"It was…interesting," Ginny said. She spent the evening telling her brother about their time with Deena and their experiences in Sheffield.

* * *

Padfoot woke and looked around trying to figure out what woke him up. A moaning sound from behind him caused him to flip over. Harry was still asleep, but he was obviously in pain. He gripped Padfoot's fur with one of his hands. His face was pale and his cheeks were once again bright red.

Padfoot instantly changed back into Sirius. He looked over at the little elf who was still sitting on the floor. "Dobby, will you please get a pitcher of water and some glasses?"

With a nod, Dobby disappeared. Sirius sat up and smoothed Harry's hair back from his forehead. "Hey, pup. Wake up Harry."

Slowly Harry's eyes fluttered open. His face split into a grin when he recognized his godfather. "Sirius?"

"It's me, Harry," Sirius said. "How are you feeling?"

"My back," Harry said softly.

"Your back hurts?"

Harry nodded. Before Sirius could respond, Dobby reappeared with the requested items.

"Thank you, Dobby," Sirius said as he picked up the pitcher and poured a cup of water for Harry. He picked up three of the potion vials and handed them to Harry. "Take these, Pup. You'll feel better."

Making a face, Harry did as he was told. Once he'd done so, he looked around the room. "Where's Ginny?"

"She's fine," Sirius said. "I think she's downstairs with Bill."

He looked over at Dobby for confirmation. Dobby nodded. "Yes, Master. Miss Ginny is talking with Mr Bill."

"Master?" Harry asked looking between the two of them.

"Dobby agreed to come work for me after Kreacher died," Sirius said.

"I thought you liked being free," Harry said as he settled back against the pillows.

Dobby shrugged. "Dobby liked being free, but Dobby wanted to belong to a family again."

"Are you hungry at all?" Sirius asked. "Dobby can get you some soup or a sandwich."

"Some soup would be good," Harry replied. Dobby immediately left to get some soup. Harry looked around the red and gold, Gryffindor themed room and smiled when he saw the large framed picture of his parents on the far wall. "I like that picture."

Sirius smiled. "It was always one of my favourites. This is your room, by the way. I bought this house hoping we could live here together."

"Really?" Harry's voice cracked slightly. This was his dream; that he and Sirius could live together as a family.

Sirius nodded, his eyes shining with emotion. "Did you know I've been set free?" At Harry's nod, he continued, "I now have legal custody of you. I've spent the past months searching for you and I ended up here. It is so beautiful up here; I bought this house with you in mind. I thought you would really like it and David told me how much you liked sailing."

Reaching out a bit shakily, Harry pulled his godfather into a hug. "Thank you. No one's ever really wanted me before."

"I've always wanted you and let me assure you that your parents wanted you. I am so angry at Albus that he left you at that horrible woman's house. I still don't see how she was related to your mother. Lily was so sweet and giving and your aunt…she's horrible."

Harry blushed. "Thank you." He looked up at his godfather and he could see the truth in his eyes. "Maybe it's like the way you're related to your mother. You certainly aren't anything like her."

Sirius laughed his barking laugh. "That is quite true. Dobby managed to take my mother's portrait down and replace it with a picture of me and you when you were a baby. It's really cute and a really nice change to hear you giggling when the door is opened as opposed to hearing my mother shriek."

"That sounds nice." Harry smiled shyly.

When Dobby returned with the soup, Harry found to his dismay that his hands were shaking so badly that it was difficult to eat. Sirius sat down on the bed next to him and helped him eat.

Sirius laughed softly. "I remember doing this when you were a baby. Lily was a great mum and she made all of her own baby food. She would puree vegetables that she'd grown in the garden. I would go over there for dinner all the time and I would feed you so that Lily could eat."

Blushing, Harry couldn't help but be touched at the thought that his mother loved him that much. "She did that?"

Sirius nodded. "That was Lily - she was such a loving, nurturing woman. She and Prongs should have had a house full of children."

"That would have been nice," Harry said as he lay back against the pillows. "I always wanted brothers and sisters."

Leaning over, Sirius gently wiped his godson's face. "That would have been great." He watched the boy for a few minutes. "Are you feeling better?"

Harry nodded sleepily and felt his eyes growing heavy. He looked over at Sirius. "I'm glad you found us."

"I'm glad we found you, too," Sirius said fondly as he watched the young boy fall back to sleep. Leaning over, he kissed Harry on the forehead before pulling the covers up around his chest. Once Harry had fallen asleep, Sirius turned to Dobby. "I'm going to get something to eat and stretch my legs. Please keep an eye on him and let me know if he needs me."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

Hermione joined Ron and Neville at breakfast. "Good morning!"

"Good morning," Neville replied. Ron merely grunted, his mouth already stuffed full of eggs.

As Hermione scooped some eggs and sausage onto her plate, she looked around the Great Hall. She leaned over to the boys. "Have you noticed that Professor Dumbledore has not been here very often over the past few days?"

Ron shrugged, "It's Easter Break, Hermione. Maybe he's taking a holiday."

"I don't think so," Neville said, heading off the scathing reply he could see forming on Hermione's lips. "I've noticed that Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall have missed some meals as well."

That diverted her. Her eyes widened. "I wonder if something is going on…" she trailed off obviously not wanted to finish her sentence. She reached for the _Daily Prophet _and quickly scanned the headlines. After a few minutes, she said, "I don't see anything."

"Malfoy doesn't look too happy," Neville said quietly. The three friends watched as Malfoy finished reading a letter. It was obvious from the look on his face that whatever he'd read, it wasn't good news. To their surprise, Malfoy lifted his head and glared right at Ron.

"What the hell?" Ron mumbled.

"Language, Ron." Hermione corrected automatically.

Ron made a face, but was soon distracted by a plate of kippers. As Ron finished eating, Neville asked, "Do you think something is going on?"

Before she could answer Seamus leaned in. "Did you hear about the passengers on a Muggle aeroplane that claim they saw someone flying on a broom?"

"What?!"

Seamus nodded. "It happened near one of the London airports – Luton, I think. Passengers on several planes actually claim they saw a couple flying on a broom."

"Really?" Ron looked interested. "I bet they got in a lot of trouble. Did they say who it was?"

Hermione was appalled. "A couple went flying near an airport? That's completely irresponsible. Was the Ministry able to contain the information?"

Seamus shrugged. "I heard it from my mum. She read about it in the papers. The Ministry hasn't been able to identify the couple. It took a while to modify the memories of everyone involved. They don't think they found everyone, but face it the Muggles would sound like nutters going on about people flying on brooms. My mum said it made it into some of the Muggle tabloids, but none of the serious newspapers picked it up."

"Still," Hermione was rather horrified. "Wouldn't they have been flying rather high for an aeroplane to see them?"

"How high do aeroplanes fly?" Neville asked curiously.

"They can go up pretty high. When they are at what they call cruising altitude they can be at 30 – 35,000 feet high. I guess if they were near an airport they would have been a lot lower," she replied. "It still seems rather irresponsible. Even to be flying so close to London would risk being seen."

"I wonder how high you could fly on a broom." Ron mused.

"I don't know," Seamus said. "I bet Harry could fly pretty high. I don't like going too high."

Ron nodded. "I know, I like flying, but I'm not as good at all of the tricks and dives like Harry."

Dean, Lavender, and Parvati joined them and the friends headed out onto the grounds. It was the end of Easter Break and the weather was nice. They wanted to take advantage of the warm weather while they could.

The sixth year Gryffindors headed for a spot near Black Lake. To Hermione's dismay, Lavender spent most of the time flirting with Ron and he seemed to be eating up the attention. Neville, who had been playing Gobstones with Dean and Seamus, sat down in the grass next to her. He followed her gaze and sighed.

"Hermione, have you ever thought of telling him how you feel?"

She jumped as if she'd been stung. "What do you mean?"

Neville rolled his eyes. "Hermione, it's obvious that you like Ron."

"Not like that," she said heatedly.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Really?"

She blushed and dropped her eyes. "It's complicated."

"How is it complicated?" Neville pressed. "You like him. You'd be a lot better for him than Lavender."

She played with the grass, pulling it up and weaving it into little squares. She winced as Lavender started giggling at something Ron had said. For his part, Ron stuck his chest out and shook his hair out. He seemed quite pleased with himself. Hermione looked back at Neville. "He doesn't like me like that. He goes for the pretty empty headed blondes."

"I don't think that's true," Neville said cautiously.

"Has he said anything?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Neville shook his head. "No, he doesn't talk to me about things like that, but I've always thought he liked you. He watches you, you know. He gets really jealous when other boys talk to you. You should have heard all of the bad things he had to say about Justin when you went to Hogsmeade with him and I'm sure you must realize how jealous he gets about Viktor Krum."

"Really?" Hermione's cheeks pinked up as she glanced over at Ron. She sighed. "He just…he's so infuriating at times, but then other times…he's wonderful."

Neville shook his head as he watched Hermione watching Ron. Those two were probably the only two in the whole school who didn't know one had a crush on the other. As noon drew near, the group headed back up to the castle.

Neville was walking with Hermione several steps ahead of Ron and Lavender. Seamus, Dean, and Parvati were behind them. They weren't far from the front steps of the castle when it happened: a flash of spell fire caught Hermione's attention. She turned in time to see Ron falling from a spell. Neville and Seamus stood over him, offering protection and returning fire as they could.

"Ron!" she screamed. She hurried over to him. Dean helped the girls drag Ron out of the line of fire. Lavender ran into the castle to get help.

Parvati looked over at Hermione. "You're the best at Transfiguration. Conjure up a rock or something to shelter us."

Hermione stared over at her with panic in her eyes. Parvati spoke again more sharply, "Hermione! Snap out of it!"

Shakily, Hermione pulled her wand and on her second try, she conjured up a large boulder that sheltered them. Ron was bleeding quite heavily from his right shoulder. Dean had pulled off the jumper he'd been wearing and bunched it up, putting pressure on the wound.

Looking down at the other two boys, they were still under fire, but they'd managed to put up a shield and seemed to be holding their own. As she watched, Hermione noticed Seamus nod to Neville and fire a stunner in the direction of the spell fire.

It was at this point that Professor McGonagall came running from the castle, followed by Professor Flitwick. She hurried over to the group huddled around Ron. Seeing they had things well in hand, she hurried down to aid Neville and Seamus. Within a short period of time, Malfoy, Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle were all stunned and secured in Professor Flitwick's custody.

Soon the group was on their way to the hospital wing. Professor McGonagall had conjured up a stretcher and was levitating Ron ahead of her.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey arrived just before noon the day after Harry arrived at his godfather's house. She was happy to find her patient sitting up on the balcony off of Sirius' room. He smiled at her as she made her way out onto the balcony.

"Good morning, Mr Potter," she smiled at him. "You are looking much better this morning."

He smiled shyly. "Thank you. I'm feeling better."

She glanced over at Sirius. "Is it safe for him to be sitting out here?"

"There are many charms protecting the house and anyone on the balcony can't be seen from outside the house," Sirius explained.

"I wanted to sit outside for a while," Harry piped up. "I really like the lake."

By this time Madam Pomfrey had her wand out and was assessing his condition. She nodded in satisfaction.

"Your bones have healed nicely," she said. A frown crossed her face. "Your back…it is going to take a while to heal."

"Are the wounds infected?" Ginny asked as she joined the others on the balcony. "He was running a fever again last night."

"I believe I was able to remove most of the bacteria from the wounds, but they are rather deep so it will take a while to heal. You did very well with the poultices you applied; they helped prevent an infection from taking hold. The wounds will need to be kept clean. The ointment should be applied once a day."

After transfiguring Harry's chair into a bed, she had him lay on his stomach so she could see his back. She showed both Ginny and Sirius how to clean the wounds and reapply the ointment and dressings. "It should heal in about a week."

Sirius helped Harry sit up and changed the bed back into a chair. "Have you heard anything about the search for them or anything?"

"I heard the Headmaster saying he has people in London and Wiltshire looking for any sign of them." The nurse turned to look at Ginny. "Your brother, Ron, is quite concerned about you. I don't believe he knows the latest turn of events, but he has been very worried about both of you all year."

"I wish there was a safe way to contact them," Ginny said a bit sadly. "I just don't want to get them into trouble."

"I know, dear," Poppy said sympathetically. She looked over at Sirius. "I need to get back to school. Harry should be fine if you follow my instructions, but if you need anything from me – please don't hesitate to let me know."

* * *

Yaxley dragged himself into the Ministry of Magic in the early afternoon. It had been a very rough night at Malfoy Manor and the morning hadn't brought any relief. The Dark Lord was furious to discover that Potter had escaped. Flint had been killed outright while many of the Dark Lord's other loyal followers had been subjected to countless rounds of the Cruciatus Curse. Despite their Lord's anger, no one was able to determine exactly how the young man escaped.

Potter had been so badly hurt that he must have had help in escaping. Under questioning the Dark Lord easily pulled out of Flint that his Portkey had been taken at the farm in Wales, so it was surmised that Miss Weasley used that to find Malfoy Manor. It was so well hidden under so many enchantments, it would have been rather impossible for her to have found the Manor so quickly any other way. The question was – how had they escaped? None of the Floos had been used and the Manor and the grounds had been searched several times. There was no indication that a Portkey had been used.

While nodding to several acquaintances and even a few fellow Death Eaters, Yaxley made his way to the Auror Department. To his relief, the old battle-axe, Bones, was not around. Through conversation with some of his contacts, he discovered that those Aurors they suspected of working with Dumbledore were all out of the office this morning, but no one knew exactly what they were working on. Yaxley wondered who the leak was. Someone had obviously alerted Dumbledore to Potter's capture and escape, but who was still a mystery. Several people suspected Snape, but the Dark Lord was confident in Snape's loyalty. Yaxley still thought it was likely Snape, but he was very careful not to voice his thoughts. Malfoy and the recently graduated Slytherins were full of nothing but praise for Snape.

He was turning to leave when he heard one of the younger Aurors, Nigel, talking to Dawlish.

"Do you know where Tonks is?" he heard Nigel ask. Yaxley leaned closer to the conversation. Tonks was Black's cousin and one of the Aurors they suspected of working with Dumbledore.

"She and Kingsley are investigating an alleged Death Eater attack in Wales," Dawlish replies. "What's up? Do you need something?"

Nigel hesitated before he said, "I have a report of underage magic up in the Lake District."

When it was obvious Nigel wasn't going to say anything else, Dawlish asked, "Did you investigate?"

"Not yet," the younger wizard admitted. He looked over at his supervisor. "I think this might be related to Potter."

"Potter? What makes you think that?"

"There have been a handful of reports of underage magic that come back attributed to witch or wizard unknown. One of these reports was found during the Dementor attacks last summer when a stag and horse Patronus were seen. Potter's Patronus is a stag," Nigel explained.

Dawlish sat up straighter in his chair. "This report? What are the details?"

Looking down at the report in his hand, Nigel said, "Several charms were performed by an unknown witch. Apparition and some conjuring spells performed the day before yesterday in the afternoon. Yesterday there were more reports of Apparition in the late morning and early afternoon. No reports since then. When I checked the area, the only magical person who lives in the area is Sirius Black."

"Excellent work," Dawlish said. "Send a message to Tonks and I will let Bones know."

Nigel hurried away, pride evident in his face. Yaxley thought about stopping him, but decided Dawlish was the more immediate danger. He walked around the wall behind which he'd been hiding and stepped out so Dawlish could see him. Before the Auror could do or say anything, Yaxley had his wand out.

"_Imperio_." Yaxley watched the other man and smiled when he felt his will easily overpower Dawlish. "You will not report this to Bones. Take no further action on the reports of underage magic."

Dawlish nodded. Satisfied with what he had discovered, Yaxley headed for the Improper Use of Magic Office. He had to supress a smile at the touch of fear that crossed the face of the young witch at the front desk.

"Good afternoon, sir," the witch said. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Yaxley said arrogantly. "I need copies of the reports of underage magic for the past forty-eight hours."

"Y-yes sir," she stammered. She pulled the files, quickly copied them and handed the copies to the wizard. Yaxley considered putting her under the Imperious and having her destroy all copies of the file, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. He took the file and left the office without another word.

He hurried to the office he maintained in the Ministry as a consultant. He was surprised at the number of complaints registered. After weeding out all of those with names, he was left with almost a dozen attributed to an unknown witch or wizard. The cluster of reports to which Nigel had referred was easy to recognize. Yaxley copied down the address on the report. It was a house in Keswick in the Lake District.

He quickly looked up Black's address in case Potter had gone there. Gratified and grateful that he had some good news to take to the Dark Lord; Yaxley left the building and hurried back to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

Shortly after Poppy left, Ginny headed downstairs. Harry had gone back to bed, but she was heartened that he looked so much better. She was browsing through the books on Sirius' shelves when her oldest brother arrived.

"Hi," she said hugging him. "What are you doing here? Don't you have to work?"

He laughed. "Well, doesn't that make me feel welcome?"

"I'm glad to see you again, but I'm just surprised," Ginny said.

"I've taken a few days off and I'm helping with the search for you and Harry," he explained. "It would look way too suspicious if I didn't help look for you. I spent the morning with Remus and Fleur."

"Fleur," Ginny eyed her brother speculatively. She smiled inwardly as he blushed slightly. "So are you still seeing the beautiful Fleur?"

Bill smiled broadly. "I am. She's great, she really is. We have a lot in common and we have a lot of fun together."

"I'm sure you do," Ginny teased. "Wait, does that mean she's in the Order?"

Bill nodded. "She's also very committed to opposing Voldemort. During the first war some of his followers hunted down Veela. There were rumours that using the blood of a Veela would help with potions or make them more powerful. She wasn't too certain of their rationale, but two of her mother's cousins were attacked."

"That's awful," Ginny said soberly. She followed her brother as he led the way out to the garden.

Sirius had set up a comfortable conversation area with chairs and small side tables on the edge of the garden; this was where Bill led his sister. The view overlooked the lake and provided a very nice vista. Ginny waved to Hedwig who was winging her way back into Harry's bedroom window. She was carrying a frog in her talons.

Ginny started laughing. "It looks like Hedwig is taking more food up to Harry."

"What?"

"Hedwig keeps bringing mice and frogs back up to Harry's room and before she eats them, she always offers them to Harry. It's really sweet. He'll thank her and tell her she can eat them. He said she used to do that when he first got her."

Bill shook his head laughing. "That's kind of sweet and kind of gross. She really did miss him."

"He missed her too," Ginny said. "He would talk about her every once in a while. The two of them have a really special bond."

The two lapsed into a companionable silence and enjoyed the weather.

"Was Poppy here this morning?"

"She just left a bit ago," Ginny explained. "She says he is doing well and left us with a bunch of potions and some ointment for him."

"Good," Bill replied as he looked out over the lake. He closed his eyes for a moment, just enjoying the surprising warmth of the early spring day. He smiled as he heard the sounds of birds chirping and the lapping of the water in the lake. There weren't any boats out today, but Bill imagined it there would be quite a few this weekend if the weather stayed the same.

A warmth in his pocket surprised him for a moment until he remembered the coin he'd placed there. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the coin and examined it. He stood up, alarmed. "Ginny, come on inside. Someone has breached the wards I placed on your safe house."

Ginny quickly stood and followed her brother. "What do you mean?"

"I placed simple wards to let me know if someone magical entered the house," Bill explained.

The two of them hurried up to Sirius' room, where they found him on the balcony. He was looking through a pair of omnioculars towards the safe house.

"Who is it Sirius?"

"Death Eaters," he replied in disgust. He looked around the grounds before heading back into his room. "Dobby!"

When Dobby arrived with a pop, Sirius didn't waste any time. "I need to you quickly pack some clothes and belongings for me. Follow the list I gave you."

"Yes, Master."

Sirius turned to the other two. "We need to leave. If Death Eaters are this close, they will come here. It's not a secret where I live." Bill and Ginny exchanged an anxious look, but nodded. "Bill, can you destroy the information in the study on the Friends of Lily?"

Bill nodded and hurried down the stairs. Sirius smiled reassuringly at Ginny. "Please make certain that all of your belongings and Harry's are repacked. Make sure to pack his potions, I already made the vials unbreakable, so you don't need to worry about that."

Feeling strangely calm, Ginny quickly repacked her dirty clothes and grabbed her bag from her room. She was glad she hadn't unpacked many of her belongings. In Harry's room, she repacked his toiletries and packed the racks of potions in his bag.

"Harry," she said urgently as she gently shook him.

His eyes fluttered open. "W-what?"

"Sweetie, you need to wake up," Ginny said. "Death Eaters."

Harry's eyes opened fully at that pronouncement and struggled to sit up. Ginny reached out and helped him up. To her dismay, he swayed a bit. "Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny asked, "Are any of your things unpacked?"

"I don't think so," Harry said as he looked around the room. "Dobby destroyed the clothes I was wearing when we got here."

"Okay," Ginny said. She helped him sit on the edge of the bed and pull on his shoes. Dobby had worked his magic on the much-abused trainers and they had been cleaned both inside and out. Ginny shivered as she remembered the amount of blood that had poured out of them when she'd taken off his shoes the first time. She looked up at her boyfriend. He looked quite pale and no matter how he denied it, she could tell he was in quite a bit of pain.

Sirius and Dobby entered the room. Dobby had several trunks and he snapped his fingers and the picture Harry had admired from the night before disappeared. Sirius expertly coaxed Hedwig into her cage and stacked it firmly on top of the trunks.

Bill hurried into the room. "I've destroyed everything in the study and placed some wards around the place. I don't have enough time to do much more."

"I understand," Sirius replied.

Before he could stay anything further, the house was rocked by a loud explosion. The house shook with the force of the attack, but the walls held. Another explosion sounded and this time the windows all blew out.

Bill managed to get a shield up in time and the broken glasses rained around them, but missed hitting all of them. Sirius swore and turned to his house elf. "Dobby, take the trunks and Hedwig. We will follow."

The little elf nodded and disappeared. Sirius pulled a small wooden box from his robe pocket and gestured at Bill. "This is a Portkey that will take us to a safe house."

Nodding his understanding, Bill wrapped one arm around his sister and reached out to touch the box with his other hand. Ginny reached out and took Harry's hand in hers and touched the box with their joined hand, ensuring he was also touching it. Satisfied that everyone was touching the box, Sirius activated the Portkey.

* * *

The air filled with the sound of witches and wizards Apparating as the Order arrived. Remus, Tonks, and George cautiously searched the house. Professor Dumbledore quickly dispelled the Dark Mark that was floating over the house.

"There's no one here, Albus," Remus reported as they left the house. "It appears to be a Muggle house and it also appears to be empty."

Dumbledore nodded. "I don't see what would have piqued their interest in this house either."

A silvery lynx leapt towards Dumbledore. "We need you over at Sirius' house."

The four quickly Apparated to Sirius' house. The grounds showed spell damage and the windows were all blown out of the house, but the rest of the house seemed to be untouched. Kingsley, Fred, and Moody had checked the grounds and not found anyone.

Dumbledore quickly had his wand out and within a few minutes said, "It should be safe to enter now. Kingsley, would you mind checking?"

"Of course," Kingsley said as he sent a spell into the house. He nodded. "It is safe to enter. It seems that the wards protected the house."

The group cautiously entered the house. Other than the broken windows and some pictures fallen from the walls, no damage was found. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Sirius either.

"Something happened in here," Remus called from Sirius' study. The others quickly joined him. "Sirius' information on the Friends of Lily organization and the path we think Harry and Ginny travelled is all gone."

Tonks nodded as she cast some spells. "It seems to me that the information was destroyed rather then taken. Someone stripped it off the walls and burned it."

"Do we know what caused the Death Eaters to come here?" George asked as he looked around curiously.

"Yes," Tonks said. She held out a parchment to Professor Dumbledore. "I received this shortly before I was notified of the Death Eater attack."

Dumbledore's face betrayed nothing as he read the note. He looked up at Tonks. "Do you believe that Harry and Ginny were here?"

"It makes sense. The only times I've seen the underage magic notification come back to 'unknown witch or wizard' we attributed it to Harry and Ginny," Tonks explained. "Sirius intimated that the Friends of Lily cast a spell that hid their identities."

Dumbledore nodded. "There are spells that can hide one's identity. That would explain why it has been so hard to find them." He looked at the scroll once again. "The scroll only mentions an unknown witch. That would seem to confirm Severus' assumption that it was Miss Weasley who rescued Harry."

By this time, they had made their way up to the second floor. Remus and Tonks took Sirius' room.

"Albus!"

Professor Dumbledore led the others into the room. "What is it?"

Remus gestured to the now empty wardrobe that sat the far end of Sirius' room. "He packed up."

"Does he have a safe house?" Kingsley asked.

"He does," Remus said in a rather defeated tone, "but I don't know where it is. He talked about a safe house where he stayed for a while the summer after we confronted him and Peter."

Moody had made his way out onto the balcony and called out, "You'll need to see this."

As the others joined him, Moody pointed out a few strands of long reddish blonde hair that had been caught in one of the chairs. Kingsley levitated the hair onto the table and performed a spell on the hair. He raised a brow at the results. Turning to Moody, he asked, "Have you ever seen that happen?"

Moody shook his head and cast the same spell with the same results. Fred looked from one Auror to the other. "What is it?"

"That spell is supposed to tell us to whom the hair belongs," Tonks explained. She gestured to one of the twins. "May I?"

Fred nodded and Tonks pulled one of his hairs. Placing it on the table, she cast the same spell. Within a few moments, a shadowy picture of Fred appeared above the table.

"I've never seen it not work," Moody groused. "That must be some charm used to disguise their identities."

"Lily was good in Charms," Remus mused. He thought for a moment. "She was not quite as good as Sirius, but she was still very good. I know she was working on some sort of project with some friends from school, but I don't know who or what."

"I will talk to Filius," Dumbledore said. "He might know something about the charm used to hide them. Perhaps he might be able to help reverse the charm. At the very least he would know who might be able to develop such a charm."

* * *

Harry groaned as he felt the familiar pull of the Portkey. It seemed to him as though they spun for quite some time. He managed to stay on his feet as he landed, but to his dismay he vomited as he landed. Groaning, he practically doubled over, nauseated and in pain.

He felt strong hands holding him up as he continued retching. A wave of dizziness passed over him and it was several long minutes before he could stand. He stood a bit unsteadily and was helped into a chair. Leaning against the back of the chair he closed his eyes.

"Here, sweetie."

Harry opened his eyes to find Ginny hovering next to him with a bowl of water and a flannel. He smiled briefly before closing his eyes as Ginny wiped off his face. "Thanks, love."

"You're welcome," Ginny replied with a kiss on top of his head.

"Sorry, Pup," Sirius said. "I know that was a long trip. You rest for a minute and I'll take you up to your room."

Harry nodded wearily, but forced his eyes open. He was sitting in a sitting room, with a brightly coloured tile floor and soft yellow walls. The windows were open and a breeze was blowing into the room, gently tossing the gauzy floor length curtains that framed the windows. Harry could feel the warmth from where he was sitting.

"Where are we?"

Sirius smiled. "We are at one of my family homes outside of Nanyuki, Kenya."

"Kenya?" Harry sat up a bit straighter and looked around. "We're in Africa?"

"Yes, we are," Sirius laughed. "My great-great-grandfather William McMillan founded this ranch over one hundred years ago. He originally was part of a team that took down Nundus and he fell in love with Africa."

"He took down Nundus?" Ginny asked in a faint voice. "Doesn't it take like hundreds of wizards to subdue just one Nundu?"

Sirius nodded. "Nundus obviously caused a lot of problems when the British started immigrating to Africa in large numbers. Their breath carries death and disease and they've wiped out many villages. Grandpa Will was very adventurous and joined a Nundu hunting team. You'll notice a lot of leopard-like patterns throughout the house – some are actual leopard skins, but some are Nundu skins."

Before Sirius could say anything further, Dobby popped into the room. "Welcome, Master. Dobby has aired the house and prepared rooms for everyone. Dobby is going shopping. Does Master need anything before Dobby leaves?"

"No, thank you, Dobby," Sirius replied with a smile. "You remember where to go?"

"Yes, Master." Dobby smiled widely as he popped out of the house.

"What sort of protections do you have here?" Bill asked.

"There are Muggle Repelling Charms, Unplottable Charms, and rumour has it there are some type of blood wards to protect the family."

"Could Bellatrix get through them?" Harry asked a touch nervously.

"No, Pup," Sirius said reassuringly. "She isn't related to the McMillans, so she couldn't get through."

"Okay," Harry replied. He looked up at his godfather wearily. "I don't like her."

Sirius smiled down at Harry. "I can understand that." He reached down to pull Harry to his feet. "Let's get you to your room before you fall asleep."

With Bill's help, Sirius managed to get Harry up the stairs to his room and into bed. Ginny unpacked the potions and gave Harry one of his pain potions. She sat on the edge of his bed, running her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.

As she left his room, Sirius beckoned her to a room to the right of Harry's room. He opened the door. "This will be your room. Mine is on the other side of Harry's and there is a loo on the other side of your room."

Ginny looked at each door as Sirius indicated them. The upstairs rooms were arranged around a balcony that looked down onto the ground floor. Sirius' room was at the front of the house, while her room was at the back of the house. Harry's room and the bathroom were on the two sides.

Entering her room, Ginny was delighted to discover she had a balcony overlooking the extensive grounds, including a pool that was located just behind the house. The ground floor was much more extensive than the first floor with rooms extending out to either side of the house.

"This is beautiful," she enthused.

Sirius smiled, "I'm glad you like it. Please don't explore much until you have a better feel for the grounds and the weather; it is much hotter here than at home. At dinner tonight, I'll make sure we all take our potions that will protect against some of the diseases in the area. All of the windows and doors have mosquito repelling charms on them, but they do carry diseases so you need to make sure you have the correct potions before heading outside."

Ginny nodded a bit nervously. "Are there wild animals out there?"

"I've actually seen many animals," Sirius said with a smile. "My relatives were into wildlife, so I believe that is why they chose this spot. I've seen lions, zebras, elephants and giraffes. Once Harry has recovered a bit we can go out exploring. It is truly amazing here."

* * *

Hermione was waiting beside Ron's bed with Neville when Professor Dumbledore strode into the hospital wing. He joined Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall in Madam Pomfrey's office.

A groan from the bed captured Hermione's attention. She looked down at the bed and was thrilled to see Ron waking up. "Ron, are you okay?"

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around in confusion. "Hermione, Neville. What happened?"

"You were attacked," Hermione said tearfully. "Do you remember?"

He squinted a bit. "When we were coming back to the castle?"

Before she could respond, Madam Pomfrey bustled up to the bed. "Mr Weasley, I'm glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"My shoulder hurts," he replied slowly. "What happened? Hermione said we were attacked?"

"Indeed, Mr Weasley," Professor Dumbledore said as he joined them at Ron's bedside. "Mr Malfoy and some of his friends attacked you on your way back to the castle."

"Why?" Ron asked astounded. "I mean Malfoy's an evil little ponce, but he's never just out and out attacked us before."

"Ron!" Hermione moaned at his description of Malfoy in front of the headmaster. Luckily Professor Dumbledore didn't comment on Ron's description, instead he pulled up a chair on the other side of Ron.

"I will tell you what happened, but I need to impress upon you the importance of not spreading this around," Professor Dumbledore looked over his glasses at Ron.

Ron gulped, but nodded. Before Professor Dumbledore could begin, Madam Pomfrey interjected, "Let me give you these potions and then you can listen to Professor Dumbledore. You will be fine and the scar should fade in a day or two. I have a Blood Replenisher and mild pain potion for you."

Obediently, Ron opened his mouth and took his potions. Madam Pomfrey smiled at him and pulled a privacy curtain around his bed before leaving him with the Headmaster and his friends.

"I must begin by telling you that Mr Potter was kidnapped by Death Eaters a few days ago."

The three students gasped, but Professor Dumbledore held up his hands. "Let me finish, I am certain I will answer any questions you might have." The three settled down and listened to the Headmaster as he explained how Harry had been captured and Ginny had helped him to escape. "I questioned Mr Malfoy and apparently he was angry that your sister's part in Mr Potter's escape caused his father problems. Apparently all of the Death Eaters present were punished most severely for the lapse in security."

Looking at the students over his glasses, the headmaster continued, "I have spoken to the students involved in the attacks on you as well as Professor Snape. I would like to prevent Mr Malfoy from following in his father's footsteps if possible. I have imposed very strict sanctions on him for his actions. He has been stripped of his status as prefect and he has been removed from the Quidditch team. He and Mr Zabini were the only two firing spells, so the two of them will be severely restricted for the remainder of the year. They will only have their wands during class time and they will be allowed to practice spells under supervision. I must ask that you and your friends do not retaliate."

He held Ron's angry gaze and slowly Ron nodded. "Okay, we won't do anything if they don't."

"That is all I ask," Professor Dumbledore said sincerely.

"Do you know where Harry and Ginny are?" Ron asked eagerly.

"I am sorry, no," the older wizard replied. "It appears that they took refuge in a safe house in the Lake District. Somehow they subsequently connected with Sirius, but before we discovered this both the safe house and Sirius' house were attacked by Death Eaters. The good news is they all escaped, but unfortunately we do not know where they are currently. It appeared as though Sirius had time to pack, but we don't know anything else. Your parents have requested that we reverse the Fidelius Charm on their house and it has been done."

"So Ginny can come home?" Ron asked eagerly.

"The Wizengamot is still requiring Harry and Ginny appear before them," the professor answered regretfully. "Until they lift that requirement, it would not be safe for them to return home."

"Why?" Ron asked. "Harry had to go before them before our fifth year; it wasn't that big a deal."

"That was before Voldemort came out in the open. Now we fear if he gives up his wand, he will be taken to Voldemort. The Death Eaters have infiltrated the Ministry to the point that we are afraid to take that chance."

He looked around at the distressed faces of the young people around him. "I do have something that I hope will lift your spirits." Reaching into his robe pocket, he pulled out a picture. Before he handed it to the young people, he said, "I have enchanted this so it will appear to others as a picture of the Weasley family. If you wish to show it to anyone, use the password, 'family.'"

With that he handed Ron a copy of the picture of Harry and Ginny from Valentine's Day. Ron took the picture with slightly shaking hands. He gasped as he looked down at the picture. Harry had his arm around Ginny and was smiling down at her with what Ron could only describe as a besotted look. For her part, Ginny was smiling up at him, her love and affection shining in her eyes.

"It is a Muggle picture, so it does not move," Professor Dumbledore explained. "We found it in the house where Harry and Ginny were staying." He smiled gently at Ron. "Your mother has a copy and she thought you might like a copy as well."

Ron cleared his throat. "T-thank you, sir." He smiled as he looked down at the picture of his sister and best friend. "She looks so different without her red hair."

"They look very happy," Hermione said as she wiped tears from her eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen him without glasses before. He looks different, but you can still tell it's him."

Neville smiled and handed her his handkerchief. "Harry looks really good – he seems like he's a lot taller," Neville added.

The headmaster quietly withdrew and allowed the three friends to visit.

* * *

Molly Weasley hummed as she finished cleaning up the kitchen. It was a beautiful spring morning and she felt as though she had accomplished much. After airing out all of the bedrooms, she replaced the sheets on all of the beds and cleaned the curtains and windows. Although she would never admit it, she always liked spring cleaning. It was such a renewing and refreshing time of year. She planned to take the rugs outside in the afternoon and beat them – it was always nice to take her aggressions out on the rugs.

The kitchen was filled with the enticing aroma of freshly baking bread and pastries. She planned to box up most of the pastries and send them to her boys. Looking around the room, she smiled in satisfaction. Somehow since the removal of the Fidelius Charm, she felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her.

A shadow crossed her face and she sighed as she sat down at the table to enjoy a cup of tea and read the latest _Witches Weekly_. While she was thrilled that Harry and Ginny had been cleared of any wrongdoing, she did not reflect with any satisfaction upon her part in the drama. So badly did she want to apologize to Harry and to Ginny, but she knew it was not possible at that point in time.

Hearing the news that her daughter was expelled, but unaccounted for, had stirred up so many unpleasant memories for Molly. The unspoken fear that somehow that monster had managed to gain control over Ginny once again was overwhelming.

Molly had agreed to the Fidelius Charm with hardly any thought to the matter. If Albus Dumbledore thought it was appropriate, than who was she to argue otherwise. As much as Molly adored and wanted to mother Harry, there was no denying that he attracted trouble. She'd seen the changes in the boy since that horrifying third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He was short tempered and quick to anger – and she didn't think Sirius Black helped matters at all. How anyone could think a convicted felon who'd spent over twelve years in prison was an appropriate guardian for such a fragile boy was beyond her.

As she had done so often in the past, Molly reacted with her emotions without thinking. If Albus Dumbledore thought You-Know-Who could be controlling Harry's actions, Molly did not want him in her house or around her children. If they could help Harry, that would be wonderful, but she wanted her daughter away from him first. It had been awful those first several weeks, wondering what had happened. Almost nightly, Molly had nightmares about Harry killing Ginny before joining You-Know-Who.

While she knew Harry would never do such a thing in his right mind, hadn't Ginny's first year shown her that You-Know-Who could make people do things they normally wouldn't do? If her daughter could set a Basilisk on other students, was it really such a stretch to consider Harry killing her daughter under You-Know-Who's control? Now that they knew that Harry hadn't killed anyone, Molly did feel a bit guilty for so easily believing in his guilt, but most of all she felt badly that the press had written about her feelings.

She sighed; there was nothing to be done about it now. She could only hope that Harry and Ginny would be able to come home and she could apologize to them in person. A smile flitted across her face as she imagined the feast she would cook for them. Treacle tart was a must, as was her daughter's favourite apple turnovers.

Her good mood restored, she sipped her tea while she read about the latest scandal involving Myron Wagtail. She shook her head at the pictures of him and a very young girl sneaking out of an expensive London hotel.

Suddenly the door was flung open and men began pouring into the kitchen. Molly screamed and tried to draw her wand until one of the men began speaking to her.

"Mrs Molly Weasley."

Molly nodded and fingered her wand nervously. She realized that the men were all wearing Ministry robes.

The man continued, "We are executing a search warrant of your property. It has come to our attention that the fugitives, Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley were recently seen in Wiltshire. It is not that far of a stretch to imagine if they made it to Wiltshire, they might make it here."

Molly looked up at the man flustered, unsure of what she should do. Before she could respond, she heard, "Molly! Molly!"

She almost sagged in relief, it was Arthur. He burst into the kitchen and seemed quite relieved to find her unharmed. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder before turning to face the man in front of her.

"Dawlish, what is the meaning of this?" Arthur demanded. "I should have been notified before you came out here and I would have accompanied you."

The sound of breaking glass filtered down from the upper floors. Arthur glared at Dawlish who looked rather discomfited. "I trust your men will be able to repair any damage they might accidently inflict upon my family's home."

"Of course, Arthur," Dawlish replied. "We need to search for the fugitives-"

"Yes, yes," Arthur interrupted him. "I've read the warrant."

The sound of feet pounding down the stairs caused everyone to turn. Molly was glad for Arthur's supportive arm when she saw the leader of the search efforts.

"There is no one up there and no sign of either Potter or Miss Weasley," Percy announced pompously.

"Percy?" Molly said weakly.

"Mother," Percy returned coolly. "I am pleased to see that at least you have enough sense not to harbour Potter here." He shook his head at his parents. "I warned you, didn't I? I warned you that listening to Potter's lies was a bad idea. Now he's dragged Ginevra's name through the mud as well. What chance does she have of making a decent match now? Running off with Potter and doing Merlin knows what for the past year. She is ruined."

"That is enough," Arthur roared. Percy actually took a step backwards in the face of his father's anger. "Your sister was driven out of Hogwarts by Madam Umbridge in her quest to disparage Harry. Ginny has done nothing wrong and she will be welcomed back into this family with open arms once we find her."

Turning away from his son, Arthur glared at Dawlish. "My daughter is not here, neither is Harry Potter. I would ask that you leave my property."

Dawlish nodded uncomfortably and calling his men, they soon left the Burrow. Molly collapsed into her husband's arms sobbing. Popping noises alerted them to the arrival of new guests.

"Dad! Mum!"

"In the kitchen," Arthur called back as he soothed his wife.

Bill, Remus, and Hestia hurried into the Burrow. Bill headed straight for his mother, giving her a hug and kiss. Molly pulled herself together.

"Are you okay, Mum?" Bill asked urgently looking down at his mother.

She managed a watery smile. "I'm better, son."

Guiding his mother to the table, Bill prepared her a fresh cup of tea with a touch of a Draught of Peace. Arthur and Remus hurried through the house, looking for and repairing any damage they found. Hestia headed outside to check the grounds.

Molly sighed as Arthur returned to the kitchen several long minutes later. He looked her over critically, "Are you okay, love?"

She nodded, "Just a bit shaken up. I was just doing some spring cleaning and didn't expect…I know Albus said we might be searched, but I thought maybe Kingsley would be able to warn us or something."

"Kingsley, Tonks, and Amelia are all out of the office this morning," Arthur said. "It was Tonks' friend, Nigel, who came to tell me what was happening."

"They didn't really expect to find Harry and Ginny, did they?" Bill asked as he pulled the loaves of bread from the oven.

"I think it was more of a power play," Arthur replied as he watched his son vanish the box of pastries the searchers had demolished. "They wanted to show us they can search at any time." He hesitated for a moment before he added, "Your brother led the search party."

Bill swore violently.

"Language," Molly said absently. She leaned against her husband. "I think this answers my question. I've been hoping we could sneak her home and no one would notice, but it really isn't safe for her here now."

* * *

Harry laughed as he dove into the pool. His back had finally healed enough that Sirius felt it was safe for him to go swimming. Living with Sirius was nothing like he had thought it would be like - it was much, much better. Sirius took his responsibilities very seriously. He looked out for Harry and cared for him in a way no adult other than possibly Mrs Weasley had ever come close.

Today marked the start of their third week in Africa. Harry's back was lightly scarred, but getting better every day.

"Harry!" Ginny squealed as he splashed her. Ducking under the water, she quickly swam past Harry into the deeper water. When she surfaced, she turned and sent water back towards him.

Harry just laughed, happy to be out in the warm sun with his beautiful girlfriend. "Okay, I won't splash you." He swam out to where Ginny was treading water and wrapped his arms around her. Steering her towards the edge of the pool, he held her in his arms.

"This feels so good," he mumbled. She smiled up at him. "I love you, Harry."

He felt a now-familiar warmth rush through him; it felt almost as though he could actually feel her love for him. "I love you." Leaning down he kissed her deeply, revelling in the feel of her body in his arms and the passion in her kisses. He lost himself in the feelings. Unencumbered by clothing, both of their hands roamed freely. Ginny gasped as his hand covered her bikini covered breast. He froze and pulled back from her slightly, "Is that okay?"

She blushed, but nodded. "It feels good."

Reassured, Harry continued his gentle exploration and kissed his way down her neck. After a time, Harry had to pull back. Resting his forehead on hers, he whispered, "Sweetie, we need to stop."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know. I wish we didn't have to."

He kissed her gently on top of the head. "Someday."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise."

* * *

That night after dinner, Sirius and the two teens retired to the large veranda to enjoy the evening. They had taken to enjoying the warm spring nights outside together. Over the past weeks they'd even seen a few animals and Sirius arranged for them to go on a photo safari so they could see all of the animals in the region.

"Sirius," Harry began. "Do you know anything about the prophesy that Voldemort was talking about?"

Sirius frowned. "I know that is what we were guarding at the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore said that it would be better if no one knew the exact wording. I didn't even realize the prophesy was about you until after you disappeared."

He looked over at his godson. "What did Voldemort say about it?"

Harry thought for a few minutes. "He was very surprised that I wasn't more curious about it. He said he'd been sending me dreams about the Department of Mysteries. Apparently he wanted me to go there and get this prophecy." Harry shuddered slightly, but when Ginny slipped her hand into his, he calmed. "Malfoy was going to take me right then, but Snape told him there were still guards at the Ministry. He was going to send me with Malfoy the next morning."

Sirius nodded. "Only those about whom the prophecies are made allowed to touch the prophecies."

"You don't know what it said?" Harry asked a bit desperately.

Sirius started to shake his head when his face lit up. "James!"

"What?" Harry looked at his godfather strangely.

"Your dad left a box of his papers," Sirius explained excitedly. "We found proof of the change of Secret Keepers in there. Maybe he put something about the prophecy in with his papers."

His excitement dimmed slightly. "I-I couldn't bring myself to look through all of his papers. I just put the box away. It was on the list for Dobby to pack, so it should be here."

Standing, he led the two teens into the large sitting room before calling, "Dobby!"

When Dobby appeared, Sirius explained what he needed and the popped away. He returned a few moments later with a large metal and dragon hide box. To Harry's shock, the Potter family crest had been worked onto the dragon hide on the lid. As Ginny squeezed his hand, he was suddenly very grateful for her presence.

Sirius set the box on a low table and the three of them sat around the table. Harry watched with interest as Sirius wand his wand over the box in a rather complicated manner.

A click sounded and Sirius reached over and opened the lid of the box. He drew out a stack full of papers that he proceeded to glance through before setting aside. He looked over at Harry. "We'll look at those later. They are property deeds and other investment papers."

Harry nodded as Sirius looked back into the box. He added a large envelope to the stack of documents. Harry had to swallow hard as he saw the phrase 'The Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter' on the outside of the envelope.

"I think this might be what we are looking for," Sirius said as he pulled out another small envelope. This envelope was addressed to Sirius in a strong hand. Harry noticed his godfather's hand shake slightly as he looked down at the note from his long dead best friend. Reaching out, Harry set his hand on Sirius' arm. Sirius looked up at him and gave him a smile. "Sorry, it's just hard seeing his writing after all this time. We used to write notes back and forth in class all the time, so I saw his writing every day and now I haven't seen it in so long."

After squeezing Harry's hand, Sirius opened the envelope and began reading the letter. As he scanned down the page, he paled slightly. Clearing his throat, he read aloud.

**Pads,**

**Lily and I just returned from a meeting with Dumbledore and honestly I don't know what to think. It turns out that someone has made a prophecy about the one destined to kill Voldemort. The prophecy says:**

"_**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, Born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."****_

Harry gasped as he godfather read the prophecy, he mind whirling. He was prophesized to vanquish Voldemort? How was that possible? He certainly didn't have any powers Voldemort didn't have.

Before he could drown in the misery that seemed to be swamping him, Ginny squeezed his hand. He looked down at her and was surprised to see that she wasn't revolted by his presence. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "It will be okay," she whispered. "Let's hear what your father had to say."

He looked up to see Sirius watching him compassionately. "It will be okay," Sirius repeated. "Are you ready to hear more?"

Pulling Ginny closer, Harry nodded and Sirius continued reading.

**Lils cried herself to sleep, but I can't sleep. Part of me wants to yell, 'It's a bloody prophecy!' Most of that crap is made up – why should this be any different? The problem is Voldemort knows the beginning of the prophecy and he wants to get rid of the child. The child could be either Harry or the Longbottoms' boy.**

"Neville?" Harry exclaimed.

Sirius nodded and continued reading.

**Lily wanted to take Harry and leave the country, but we are afraid that if we run, we won't be much safer and we will be alone. Obviously the most important thing is keeping Harry safe. Padfoot, you have to promise me that if the worst happens and Voldemort comes after us that you will raise Harry. Make sure he knows the prophecy and that he knows how to protect himself. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on dying, but if there is a choice between me and Harry…I don't need to say that you need to protect my boy. He is everything…and not just because of this stupid prophecy. Help him get past this and live a great life. I want him to play Quidditch, make great friends, and fall in love with an amazing girl. Make sure he knows how much his mum and I love him.**

**James**

Sirius set the letter aside and looked over at his godson. He didn't think Harry was even aware of the tears running down his face. Opening his arms, he pulled Harry into his arms. Ginny sat back and let Sirius comfort her boyfriend.

After a few moments, Harry pulled back with a tortured look on his face. "I-it was my fault."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked gently.

"M-my parents' deaths," Harry explained miserably. "If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have died."

"No, Harry," Sirius said firmly. "Did you hear your father's letter? His biggest concern was protecting you."

"Right," Harry said, "and that's why he died."

Reaching out, Sirius lifted Harry's chin and looked directly into the younger man's eyes. "Harry, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Your parents died because a power-hungry monster decided they had to die. You are in no way responsible. James and Lily loved you so much and yes they died so that you could live, but only because they loved you so much. They would be so upset if they knew you were blaming yourself."

Harry stared at him for the longest time before he cleared his throat. "It just seems so…my uncle always used to tell me I was lucky he didn't dump me at the orphanage."

He looked away uncomfortably. Sirius hugged him. "I am so, so sorry. I never should have let Hagrid take you and obviously I never should have gone after Peter. I don't really know what I was thinking."

"No, Sirius," Harry interrupted, "it's not your fault."

"And it's not yours, either," Sirius replied. The two looked at each other for a moment before smiling, Sirius laughed. "I love you, Harry. I really, really do. James was my best friend and my brother, but you are much, much more to me. We could wallow in guilt or we could fight. I agree with your Dad – most prophecies are made up rubbish, but for some reason Voldemort seems to believe it. I think he's going to keep coming after you until we stop him."

Harry sighed. "I…I thought I have to stop him. I have to kill him, Sirius. I'm not a killer."

"No you aren't," Sirius agreed. "But we will help you stop him. You might be the one prophesized to vanquish him, but we will be with you all the way."

Blinking, Harry wiped his eyes on the handkerchief Sirius handed him. He looked over at his girlfriend and was happy to see she was smiling at him. "Gin?"

"I'm with you, love," she said softly. She took a step forward and Sirius stepped back. Ginny reached up and cupped his cheek. "I love you. We will make it through somehow." She held up her hand with the ring. "Together always, right?"

He smiled and pulled her into his arms. "Together, always."

* * *

****** From Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling found on page 1186 in the digital version by Pottermore Limited.


	11. Chapter 11 OWLs

**A/N: **Thank you to my wonderful betas, StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent! I really appreciate the readers who pointed out the errors at the end of this chapter. These have been fixed! Thank you! The phrases marked with * are taken from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Page 121 of the electronic version available on Pottermore.**  
**

* * *

_April 28 – May 30, 1997_

Sirius found Harry and Ginny having breakfast out on the patio. He smiled at the teens.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," they chorused in return.

"What did you have planned for today?" Sirius asked casually.

Harry shrugged. He'd learned that Sirius' ideas were usually lots of fun. "Not much. We were going to revise some and swim a bit later."

Sirius made a face. "No, I don't think that sounds like a lot of fun." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Setting the box on the table, he tapped it twice with his wand. The teens watched eagerly as the box enlarged. When it seemed to stop growing, they looked over at Sirius.

"Open it up."

Harry lifted the lid and shouted with joy. Lying in the box was his Firebolt. He reverently lifted his broom from the box and to his surprise heard a squeal from Ginny. Tearing his eyes from his broom, he watched as Ginny pulled another Firebolt from the box.

Sirius laughed. "I didn't think it was fair that only one of you had an International Racing Broom."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ginny chanted as she threw her arms around Sirius' neck.

"You are very welcome," Sirius replied as he hugged her, before planting a kiss on her cheek. "It's the very least I can do after everything that you've done for Harry. I can never repay you for what you've done."

"Why don't you two try those out?" He gestured out towards the west. "Fly out in that direction. No one really lives out there, it's mostly animals." He handed Harry a loaded picnic basket. "This has a featherweight charm and a preservation charm on the food. Have fun!"

Harry hugged his godfather before looking over at his girlfriend. He nodded and together they took off. Sirius laughed as Harry whooped with joy, rocketing straight up into the air. Ginny followed at only a slightly slower speed. As she got used to the power of the Firebolt, she quickly caught up to Harry. Sirius watched as they dove, spiralled, and chased each other in the air. After a few minutes, Harry waved to his godfather, who was still watching them from the patio, and together he and Ginny raced off of the property.

The couple flew most of the morning. To Harry's delight, they were able to see many animals. They flew over a herd of lumbering elephants and giraffes pulling leaves from the tall trees. Ginny laughed as they followed a herd of zebras running and playing in the grass. To her delight there were even a few foals running with the larger herd.

Harry pulled up next to his girlfriend. "Do you want to take a break over there?"

"Sure," Ginny replied, her eyes dancing with joy. Harry led the way over to a large tree and they landed on one of the lower branches. They were still a good four or five feet off the ground, but the branch was large enough that they could sit down. Setting down their brooms, they settled on a spot close to the trunk of the tree. Harry quickly cast the spells Sirius had taught them that masked their scent and hide them from predators.

"Look," Harry murmured quietly as he pointed to a spot about 100 meters away.

Ginny gasped when she saw a family of lions dozing in the grass. There was one large male lion and four lionesses lounging in the tall grass. Ginny was thrilled to see half a dozen lion cubs playing in the grass. They were bouncing and pouncing on each other.

"They are so cute," Ginny said as she leaned back against her boyfriend. He nodded as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Sirius is amazing," he said quietly. "I mean not only to get my broom back, but he got you a matching one."

She nodded. "I can't believe he did that for me." Shifting her head, she looked over at Harry. "I think I'll make him some bread pudding tonight. I remember him saying that summer that it was his favourite."

"I think he'll like that," Harry said with a smile.

Laughing, she pulled him down and kissed him deeply. The two lost themselves in the feelings and sensations that they brought out in each other so easily. Harry slid his hands up under her shirt.

He froze when she sat up suddenly. Had he done something wrong? His breath caught in his throat when she pulled her shirt off. For a moment he could only stare at her in amazement. She was so beautiful.

She shyly smiled at him before whispering, "Take off your shirt."

He hastened to comply. Once he'd done as she asked, he pulled her back down and kissed her passionately. The feel of her soft, warm skin against his was intoxicating. As her tongue danced with his, Harry explored her enticing curves. After a time, Harry pulled away so he could catch his breath. "We need to stop, beautiful girl."

"I know," she whispered. She pulled her shirt back on, but stopped him from putting his shirt back on. "Keep it off for a while."

Turning slightly, she leaned back against him, her back to his chest. She laced her fingers through his. With his free hand, Harry ran it through her hair. He held it up and watched it sparkle in the sunlight.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly as he watched her.

"Thank you," she replied blushing slightly. Even after hearing him say it countless times, it still thrilled her to hear him say it. Leaning up she kissed him softly before settling back against him, secure in his arms.

He laid his cheek on top of her head, holding her close. "Remember that night you came into my dorm when you had that nightmare about the Chamber?"

She nodded and he continued. "I remember waking up to find you in my arms and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. It was the first time I realized just how beautiful you are. I felt a bit like a prat for not realizing how amazing you are before."

Leaning up, she kissed him. "I went back to my dorm and danced all around the room like an idiot. _I slept with Harry! I slept with Harry! _Even if I couldn't tell anyone, I was so thrilled."

"Trust me, it had quite an effect on me also," Harry said dryly. He blushed as he realized what he'd said, but Ginny just laughed and snuggled closer into his arms. The two sat quietly in the tree just enjoying each other's company.

As she watched the lions playing, she said, "Africa is so beautiful. I'm glad that Sirius brought us here."

Harry nodded. "It is amazing here." He smoothed her hair down and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Where do you want to live? Once this is all over, I mean."

"I don't know," Ginny said thoughtfully. "I really love the Lake District. I think I'd love to live up there. It would be a great place to raise kids. I'd love to have a nice house a large garden. We could grow food and have some animals."

"That sounds wonderful," Harry agreed as he pictured the vision she described. He smiled as he thought of beautiful little red haired girls who looked just like their mother and maybe a few black haired little boys. He looked down at Ginny. "How many kids do you want?"

"I've always wanted lots of kids," Ginny admitted blushing. "Maybe not as many as my mum, but I'd like at least four or five kids."

"Four or five," Harry repeated. "That sounds nice. I always hated that it was just me. Four or five beautiful red headed girls would be perfect."

Ginny giggled. "I am a Weasley, you know. Girls aren't very common."

"But you will be a Potter," Harry countered.

Ginny smiled as he tightened his arms around her. "A Potter - I like the sound of that."

"Me too," Harry said quietly. "For so long I've been the only Potter, I can't wait until you are one as well." He kissed the side of her head. "When do you want to get married?"

She turned so she could see in his eyes. "I don't know. I know we're young, but I don't want to wait years and years."

He nodded. "Ever since I heard that prophecy…I know what I have to do."

"What we have to do," Ginny corrected him. "We aren't going to let you run off on your own and face him."

He smiled broadly at her support. "What we have to do. I…I know we should probably wait until after Voldemort's gone, but I don't want to do that. I don't want him to have that much control over my life." He looked down at the lions lazing in the sun, feeling a bit envious of them, if he was honest. "I talked to Sirius the other night…" he blushed as he recalled the talk Sirius had given him.

Ginny giggled. Sirius was taking his job as godfather very seriously and he had taken it upon himself to give Harry 'the talk,' after he claimed he had seen Harry drooling over Ginny one too many times.

"Hey," he protested. "You aren't supposed to laugh at me."

"Sorry," she said as she kissed him. "You are just so cute."

He coloured even more, but smiled happily. "When I talked to Sirius, he told me that in order to be married in Kenya, one of the couple must be of age and the other must be at least sixteen."

Ginny's breath caught. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "We could get married after your birthday." Harry watched her anxiously, he didn't want to push her into anything, but somehow this just seemed so right to him.

"Would I need parental permission?"

He shook his head. "No, as long as you are sixteen, you don't need permission."

Her eyes lit up, "That would be wonderful!"

Before he could say anything else, she turned in his arms and kissed him passionately. He returned the kiss, pouring all of his feelings into the kiss. The rest of the morning was spent kissing and cuddling while they watched the animals. They flew with some kestrels and watched the sleepy lions before they finally ate the lunch that Dobby had packed for them.

As they packed up the basket to head back to Sirius' house, Ginny turned to Harry. "I hope you weren't thinking that counted as a proposal."

He laughed. "Don't worry, even I know better than that."

* * *

Bill dashed into the front hall of Grimmauld Place, happy to be out of the rain that had been falling all week. He smiled as the Padfoot in the picture started barking, causing baby Harry to start laughing. There was just something about that happy baby laugh that made him smile every time.

He propped his brolly in the corner to dry and headed downstairs. He could hear his mother puttering around in the kitchen. When he reached the kitchen, he found that several other members of the Order were already there. He nodded to his father and went over to hug his mother.

"Hi, mum," he said as he dropped a kiss on her cheek.

"Hello, love," she smiled up at him. "Are you hungry?"

He laughed, "You know I never say no to whatever you've made."

After he sat next to his father, his mother brought him over a cup of tea and added another plate of apple crumble to the table. He served himself some of the crumble and custard and listened as the others talked. He was glad to hear that Carys Astley had been found and was safely back at her home in Rhyl.

Arthur nudged his son's arm and whispered, "Mrs Astley is coming to the Burrow for dinner next week if you and Fleur would like to join us. She seems like a lovely woman."

"That sounds great," Bill replied. He knew that Harry and Ginny would be thrilled to learn the woman they had come to care so much about was safe.

Molly came over to join them and Fred hurried over explaining that George was at the shop. Bill nodded to Remus and Tonks as they sat on the other side of the table. The Floo flared up and Professor Dumbledore joined them as well as Professors McGonagall and Snape.

Professor Dumbledore looked over the group assembled and he smiled benevolently at everyone. "Thank you for taking the time to attend." He looked over at the Weasleys. "Molly, Arthur, I trust there was no permanent damage from the search of your home."

"No damage," Arthur replied, "but they certainly want us to know they are keeping an eye on us. We've been visited twice and I've seen some Ministry personnel in town. There are only three or four magical families in the area, certainly not enough to attract that level of attention."

"They've visited the store as well," Fred stated. "I'm certainly not impressed with the calibre of workers they are hiring. They come in and walk around very obviously. They glare at us and occasionally ask us if we've seen Harry or Ginny. Do they really think we're just going to say, 'Oh yes, I've just come from tea with them. Would you like to see them?'"

Bill laughed. "I agree. I've only been visited once. I think whoever is pushing for this is afraid of the goblins. They haven't managed to discover where I live yet so they are leaving me alone for now."

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "I believe it is a power play more than anything else. I can't imagine they truly think they will find Harry or Ginny in any of these places, I think they just want to emphasize how they have their eyes on everyone."

"They have been to Sirius' house twice," Remus said, "but I think they realize that they managed to run him off."

"You've had no word from him?" Molly asked anxiously.

Remus shook his head. "I imagine that he doesn't feel he can risk their safety at the moment."

"That's not his call to make," Molly burst out. Arthur laid a calming hand on her shoulder.

"I'm afraid at the moment it is," Remus replied. "He is Harry's legal guardian and if he decided that it was too dangerous, what was he supposed to do – leave Ginny behind? I think by just what has been said thus far we have demonstrated that neither of them are safe around here."

"Why didn't he contact us?" Molly wailed. "It seems as though they were at his house for quite some time before the Death Eaters attacked. Why didn't he let us know they were safe?"

Bill squirmed a bit uncomfortably. He had made the call to wait until Harry was a bit healthier before contacting his parents. He had been afraid that his mother would come and take Ginny away when that was obviously not what was best for them.

"Mum, I'm sure nothing was done to hurt your feelings or anything," Bill said gently. "Harry and Ginny are better off together."

"How can you say that?" His mother glared at him.

"Obviously she would have been captured in any of these raids if he'd sent her home," Bill pointed out. "Then she would have been turned over to Voldemort to be used as bait to get Harry."

"I'm afraid he's right, Molly," Dumbledore said regretfully. "Neither of them are safe right now."

He looked around at room at the other members and decided to move on with the meeting. Bill settled back in his chair, well aware of the glares his mother was sending his direction.

At the close of the meeting, Molly leaned over and put her hand on Bill's arm. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I realize that what you are saying is right, but it is hard to admit that someone else would be better off caring for my daughter." Molly paused and sniffed. "I miss my girl and I want to see her more than anything. I know I shouldn't disparage Sirius. I'm sure when he found them, however he did it, he had his hands full caring for Harry."

Bill stood and pulled his mother up into a hug. "I know, Mum. I'm sure she misses you as well." Looking into his mother's eyes he made a decision. "Can I come home with you?"

"Of course, love," Molly said.

Once the three of them arrived at the Burrow, they naturally settled in at the kitchen table. Bill took a deep breath. "Mum, if you should be mad at anyone, you should be mad at me. I was there when Sirius found them."

"What?"

Bill winced at the outrage in his mother's voice. "Hedwig was actually the one who found them." He explained to his parents how Ginny had rescued Harry from the Death Eaters and had gotten him safely to the house in the Lake District. He looked directly at his mother when he said, "I'm sorry I didn't send for you, but honestly at the time it seemed like Harry was the priority. He was in really bad shape…"

He trailed off as his mother laid her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Bill."

He looked at her in confusion before looking over at his father. He was happy to see his father didn't seem angry either.

"Did she look well?" Molly asked.

Bill smiled. "She…she is amazing. I listened to my baby sister calmly tell me how she planned to rescue her boyfriend from the Death Eaters and then carried out that plan." He shook his head in amazement. "She had to listen while first Voldemort and then Bellatrix tortured him, yet she still kept to her plan and was able to rescue him."

"How was Harry?" Arthur asked in concern.

"He was not in good shape," Bill said. "His back…he'd been whipped and the wounds were starting to get infected. He had broken bones and bruises and he was running a fever. If Hedwig hadn't found them…I shudder to think what might have happened."

"Oh, the poor boy," Molly said, her soft heart touched to hear his suffering.

"We got someone to help him," Bill said, "well, Sirius did. Harry was getting better and then the Death Eaters attacked. Sirius had a plan. He was very well organized and he and Dobby had everything packed and ready to go. I can't tell you where their safe home is, but I can tell you they are very safe."

It was Molly this time who rose and hugged her son. "Thank you for being there for your sister. I wish I could have helped her, but I do understand."

* * *

Bill knocked on the front door of Sirius' Kenyan home. It took a few moments, but soon Dobby answered the door. He bowed low to the ground. "Mister Wheezy."

"Hi Dobby," Bill smiled at the small elf.

Welcoming Bill into the house, Dobby said, "Master Sirius is expecting you."

He led Bill through the house to a large study. The whole back wall of the study looked out onto the patio and the pool beyond that. A set of French doors were opened and Bill could see Harry and Ginny sitting at a wrought iron table on the patio. Sirius was sitting at the desk in the study. He looked up with a smile when Bill entered.

"Bill thanks for coming," Sirius said as he stood and shook Bill's hand.

"No problem," Bill replied. "I wanted to check on my sister anyhow."

"She's doing really well," Sirius said.

He gestured to the teens on the patio. Ginny had let her hair revert back to her natural colour, so her vibrant red hair shone in the bright sun light. She was wearing a yellow sundress with orange flowers on it and her newly acquired tan was accented by the dress. Harry was looking much healthier then the last time Bill had seen him. He was also tanned and happy looking.

Sirius caught Bill's look of confusion over the fact that his sister hadn't greeted him yet. "I have a privacy charm up, so they don't hear anything and I don't hear anything that a godfather shouldn't hear. If they need anything, they call my name and it cancels the charm."

Bill laughed. "Have they been behaving?"

"Mostly," Sirius replied with a smile. "There are times when he's studying her more than his schoolwork and vice versa, but overall they've been great."

"Good," Bill replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large envelope which he handed to Sirius. "This is a certified copy of her birth certificate."

"Excellent," Sirius replied as he looked over the document.

"Did you find his?"

"Yes, James had it in with his other important papers," Sirius explained.

"Good," Bill said. "So what is the plan?"

"May 26 is a bank holiday, so I want to take advantage of that," Sirius said. "I've already spoken to the Department of Wizarding Education in Cape Town. Because South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the kids can take their OWLs in South Africa and they will be honoured in England. If we register them on the bank holiday and then send in all of their test results at the same time, it will give us several days for them to take the tests and leave the country before anyone comes looking for us."

Bill nodded, "That makes sense. Fleur and I can both help." He looked over at the older man.

"What about Remus? He's going nuts not knowing what is going on."

Sirius fell silent as he considered the matter. He did miss his friend, but Harry was his first priority. There were times when Remus was just a bit too close to Dumbledore. He sighed, "Why don't we talk to the kids about it? I know Ginny really wants to see your mum and dad as well. Maybe we can find a way to bring everyone together, even if it's just for an afternoon."

He waved his wand at the doorway and suddenly the sound of laughter filled the air. Sirius smiled, hearing his godson laugh was always the best sound in the world. He stepped out onto the patio.

"It doesn't sound like a lot of studying is going on out here," Sirius teased as he joined the teens.

Harry smiled up at his godfather. "Don't worry, we're getting a lot of studying done."

As Bill joined them outside, Ginny squealed in delight. "Bill!" She hugged her brother and he kissed her on the cheek before greeting Harry.

Sirius summoned two more chairs and they all sat back down at the table. Sirius updated them on the plan. Ginny looked a bit nervous and reached out for Harry's hand. "So how many days will we be in South Africa?"

"What OWLs are the two of you taking?" Sirius asked.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. Harry answered, "We definitely want to do the basics – Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. That is what Carys really drilled us on. I think we could do well with the other core courses – History of Magic, Astronomy, and Herbology."

"Okay," Bill said. "That would be seven OWLs. What about electives?"

"Runes," Ginny answered promptly. "We've really been working hard on Runes." She looked over at her boyfriend. "I bet we could both pass Muggle Studies without a problem."

Harry laughed. "I'm sure we could. I also took Care of Magical Creatures. I refuse to take the Divination – I'm not going to waste any more time on that rubbish."

"So that would be ten OWLs," Sirius said. He thought about it for a moment. "Ancient Runes, History of Magic, and Muggle Studies don't have a practical portion."

Bill nodded in agreement. He watched his sister and her boyfriend as Sirius continued, "It would be really tight, but could you do two exams a day? You could do the written exams in the morning and the practical portions in the afternoon. Because it's just the two of you being tested, it shouldn't be too bad. Once both of you are finished you would get a break and move on to the next test."

Harry paled a bit at the thought of packing that much testing into such a short period of time. "Two exams a day?"

"I know it's really busy," Sirius said, "but that way you could finish everything in one week and we can be out of there."

Harry looked over at his girlfriend. She also looked a bit nervous at the thought of cramming all of that testing into one week. He leaned over and whispered, "What do you think?"

"I think we can do it," she replied.

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek before turning back to his godfather. "Okay, we can do that."

"Excellent," Sirius said. "Don't worry, I think you will do fine. I've been looking into our options and I have a line on a self-catering holiday house in Victoria Bay. It's about five hours from Cape Town which is where the testing will take place." He smiled at the teens. "You should bring your swimming costumes, there is access to a private beach and it sounds really nice."

"Fleur and I will be coming as well," Bill said. "The three of us – me, Fleur, and Sirius – will be providing security while you are testing."

Sirius looked over at Bill before asking his godson, "Harry, we were wondering about contacting Remus. I hate that I had to leave him in the dark like that. We were really lucky that Bill was there so I could bring him here."

"I think Remus would be fine," Harry said slowly. "Is there some reason you're concerned about him?"

Sirius smiled at his godson's perceptiveness. "I know he is devoted to you, but being a werewolf brings another layer of concerns. He asked your parents not to consider him as a Secret Keeper as he was afraid if Voldemort captured him…the Death Eaters had a history of capturing reluctant werewolves just before the full moon and putting them in a room with young children or family members or whoever they thought would freak out werewolf the most. I think that's why he's always kept his distance from you a bit. He didn't want to be the cause of your death."

"Merlin," Harry breathed. "I never would have thought of that."

"That's horrible," Ginny said, the horror shining in her eyes.

Sirius nodded. "Remus has always carried a huge burden because of his lycanthropy. I have been thinking about it and he is fairly well guarded within the Order. I know that Dumbledore is aware of the risks and has taken extra precautions in the past to protect Remus."

"I think it would be great to see Remus if it can be done safely," Harry said.

Ginny nodded, "If we can work out a good plan, maybe we could see my parents."

Sirius smiled at the girl. "Don't worry, Ginny. I haven't forgotten about that. I'm thinking of having Remus come here, but I don't know that I want your parents to know where I live. We could probably make arrangements to meet up with your parents for a day and meet in Egypt or Greece. Those are both places you can easily get a one day Portkey to visit so it wouldn't draw too much attention to what they are doing."

"That would be great," Ginny replied happily.

"Mum and Dad are doing much better," Bill interjected. "Fleur and I had dinner with them and Mrs Astley last week. I think Mum was reassured that the two of you were doing well and learning."

"I told Mum and Dad that I'd seen you," Bill confessed. "Mum was so upset and…I guess I felt a little guilty about not telling them." He looked at his sister. "Mum really surprised me. She was glad that you were well and she understood that Harry was the priority."

"Really?" Ginny said. "She wasn't upset?"

"You know Mum," Bill replied with a smile. "She flared up a bit, but she calmed down and said she was glad I was there. Dad asked about Harry. They were concerned about both of you. I think Mum was just more upset that she wasn't the one who was able to help you."

Ginny smiled. "Good, I'm so glad she's being…well, a bit more reasonable. I'm glad you told them."

Bill looked over at Sirius who smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, mate. I understand about family. I'm glad your mum realizes we didn't kidnap Ginny or anything. I don't know what else we could have done."

"She does realize that," Bill said. "The whole family has been watched and raided. It's not safe for them right now."

"What about Dumbledore?" Harry asked. He looked at his godfather. "You mentioned that we would need to talk to him at some point in time."

Sirius sighed. "I was thinking maybe after your birthday would be a good time to arrange a meeting. Once you are seventeen and have taken your OWLs you will be considered an adult and he won't have any say over what you do. Dumbledore is not a bad man, he just gets very focused on politics and…I guess you would say the end game and he tends to forget that it is people's lives he is affecting. He wanted me to live in my family home and he didn't want me to go out at all. I know he was trying to protect me, but I am perfectly capable of protecting myself."

Harry nodded. Sirius had explained to both teens about the Horcruxes and what had been done to find them thus far. The diary, ring, and locket had been destroyed, but no progress had been made in finding either Hufflepuff's cup or the item of Ravenclaw's that had been used to make a Horcrux. Dumbledore remained certain that Nagini had been used to create a Horcrux once Voldemort had regained his body.

While Harry was eager to help destroy the monster who had destroyed his family, he wasn't so eager to put himself back under Dumbledore's control. "I think that's a good idea," Harry said. "I want to make certain he can't force me into anything. If he could turn his back on me so easily…I just don't trust him as much as I did."

"I don't blame you," Sirius said as he clasped Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled up at his godfather. He knew that Sirius would not let him down.

* * *

Hermione frowned slightly as she descended the last of the steps to enter the common room. It was quite late, past twelve, and Ron was still sitting at the table working on his homework. Neville was with him, but Hermione thought that Neville was caught up on his homework and he was just keeping Ron company. She knew that Katie had been having extra practices and tonight's practice had been several hours long in the rain. It wasn't healthy, but Hermione knew better than to say anything negative to Ron about Quidditch.

Ron looked up as she joined them. "Hermione, I thought you were going to bed."

She shrugged as she sat down across from him next to Neville. "I was having trouble sleeping, so I thought I'd see if you were done yet." She glanced at the essay in front of him. "Ron, I thought you said you'd finished your Potions' essay."

Ron shrugged, "You kept asking so I figured I should give you the answer you wanted."

"Ron!"

"Ssh," Neville hissed. "It's late, Hermione. You don't want to wake anyone up."

Hermione pouted slightly, feeling a bit wrong footed. She knew she needed to keep quiet, but she was honestly hurt that Ron would lie to her just to stop her from asking if he'd finished. "I'm just trying to help you."

Before he could respond, an elf popped up next to Ron. The three students stared at him in astonishment for a moment. Surprisingly, it was Ron who recovered first.

"Dobby! What are you doing here?"

The little elf bowed slightly before he handed two letters to Ron and another one to Hermione. "Dobby is delivering mail. Master thought that you would like to hear from your friends."

Ron's hands shook as he picked up the letters. He easily recognized both Harry and Ginny's writing. He paled, but rallied quickly. "So they're okay?"

"Young Master and Miss Ginny are well," Dobby replied with a smile.

Hermione looked between Ron and Dobby in confusion. She had to admit that Dobby looked better than she had ever seen him look. He was clean and dressed in a livery uniform that was a black and trimmed in green and he was calmer than she'd ever seen him. "Master? What are you talking about Dobby? I thought you were free and you enjoyed being free."

Dobby's ears drooped at Hermione's sharp tone. He faced Hermione. "Dobby did like being a free elf, Miss Grangy, but Dobby wanted to work for Master Black. He is a kind master and takes good care of Dobby."

"How could he?" Hermione seethed. "Dobby, you should tell Sirius that you want to work for him as a free elf. Don't let him run over you like that."

"Master would never run over Dobby," the elf replied in a shocked and rather affronted tone. "Master is very good to Dobby and Dobby gets to care for Harry Potter. Harry Potter saved Dobby from a life of…misery. Dobby wants to help Harry Potter."

"You can help Harry and still be free," Hermione said severely.

As they were talking, the little elf started moving around the common room cleaning up the clutter from the room. He frowned as he uncovered some of Hermione's hats. "Miss Grangy shouldn't be leaving these hats in the common room."

"Why not?" Hermione shot back, obviously upset about the whole conversation. "If I free a few more house elves, it will be a good thing."

Dobby looked at her for a moment, unsure if he should speak. "Miss Grangy cannot free Hogwarts house elves. They don't belong to you."

"What?" Hermione looked around at the two boys who were determinedly looking anywhere but her. She turned back to the house elf who seemed much more self-assured than any other time she'd spoken to him. He was standing up to her and hadn't once suggested harming himself.

"Dobby used to take the hats, but the other house elves thought it was….insulting. They refuse to clean the common room," Dobby explained.

"But…but I was just trying to help," Hermione said. "Wait, you took all of the hats?"

"Yes, Miss Grangy," Dobby replied. He watched the young witch anxiously. While he knew her heart was in the right place, he knew how the Hogwarts elves felt. In the months since he'd belonged to the Black household, Dobby felt much more confident and he knew Harry Potter would want Dobby to help his friend.

"Dobby knows Miss Grangy wants to help house elves," the little elf said compassionately. "House elves get their magic from their owners. Elves who are free still have magic, but they…" He trailed off as if confused as to how to explain the concept to her.

It was Neville who spoke up. "Free elves don't lose their magic, but they don't get any stronger in their magic. It is a trade-off. They chose to belong to a family to increase their power."

"Thank you, young master," Dobby said earnestly. "Dobby didn't know how to say that."

"You're welcome, Dobby," Neville replied. "I'm glad you've found a good home with Sirius."

Dobby smiled widely, his ears twitching. "Dobby is very happy with Master Sirius and Harry Potter." He looked around the room. "Dobby must finish delivering the letters."

"Bye, Dobby," the teens said as the little elf popped out of the room.

Hermione glared at the two boys. "Did you know about that? Did you know that Sirius had enslaved Dobby again?"

"I knew Dobby was working for Sirius," Ron replied. "I didn't know he wasn't still free, but Hermione did you even listen to Dobby?"

She frowned. "I don't understand, how can it be better for them to be slaves? It's not right."

Neville spoke up, "Hermione, I understand that you want to help the house elves, but you need to talk to them and see what they want and what they need. Many house elves are very happy, but there are those who are abused or treated poorly – those are the elves you need to focus on."

She glanced over at Ron only to find he wasn't even paying attention to them, he was reading his letters. To her surprise, he blinked away tears even as he was smiling. It was then that she glanced down at her letter for the first time. Her name was scrawled on the front in Harry's untidy writing. She smiled to see his writing. Looking up she caught Neville's eyes.

"Go ahead," he urged.

With a smile she opened her letter and together with Neville read Harry's letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope all is well with you. I really hope that my postcard to you last summer didn't cause you to be hurt. Ginny and I read about the attacks at Bannockburn right after we'd been there and we were afraid to try and contact anyone again after that._

_Ginny and I are both doing well. Don't worry we've been studying hard. We even went to a Muggle school for a while. It was fun – I was even on the football team and we made some good friends. Unfortunately, we had to move after the Bonfire night attacks. We've had to move about a lot the past year, but we are with Sirius now. He is the best. He even got my broom back for me. We've been doing a lot of flying lately._

_Take care of yourself and I miss you._

_Harry_

Hermione smiled. Harry had never been a prolific letter writer, but it was nice to know he was well and thinking of them. She was glad they were keeping up with their studying. She'd been worrying about how Harry would ever be able to catch up, but if he was studying now that was a good thing. She did worry about how he would take his OWLs, but once Sirius brought him home, he could take them.

She and Ron exchanged their letters and she read Ginny's letter to Ron.

_Dear Ron,_

_Dobby kindly volunteered to deliver these letters for us. I hope you are well and having fun in school. I've missed all of you and really wish I could see you, but I know that's not possible right now._

_Did you know that Hedwig is the one that found us? I'm so glad she did, Harry was so sick and I don't know what we would have done if she hadn't found us. I'd gone to get supplies and came back to find Harry curled up with Hedwig. She found Sirius who came and rescued us._

_I'm staying with Harry and Sirius and having a wonderful time. Harry is recovering and we've even been out flying recently. Harry and I have been dating for almost a year – we started dating last June. Don't worry, he's been a wonderful boyfriend. He takes really good care of me, but he also lets me do things on my own. Tell Hermione that both of us are keeping up with our studies and Harry has even started taking Ancient Runes._

_Keep safe! I can't wait until we can see you again!_

_Love, Ginny_

Ron handed them Harry's note as he took back his sister's note to reread.

_Ron,_

_I've missed you, mate. I can't believe it's been almost a year since we were run out of school. We're with Sirius now, he's been brilliant. He got my Firebolt from the school and brought it with us. I thought it was lost forever. Ginny and I have been doing a lot of flying recently. Sirius bought her a broom so we could go flying together._

_Your sister is amazing. I'm sure you already know that, but she's been great. She rescued me from the Death Eaters all by herself. _

_It's kind of strange to be writing this to you instead of telling you in person, but I'm in love with your sister. Ginny has just been so wonderful this whole time. I really can't imagine my life without her. I've given her a promise ring and I plan to replace that with an engagement ring soon. I wish I could talk to you about it and I wish I could talk to your parents and do everything the proper way, but that just isn't possible. Please just know that I love her and I hope you are happy for us._

_I wish we could have arranged to get letters back from you, but we didn't want anything to happen to Dobby._

_Harry_

Hermione's jaw dropped when she read about Harry wanting to marry Ginny. He'd mentioned Ginny several times in his letter to her, but nothing like this. She stole a glance at Ron, to her surprise he didn't seem at all upset as she thought he might be.

"They sound good," Neville said. He looked over at his friend. "Are you okay with them together?"

Ron nodded. "Not that I really have any say, but I've always thought they would be good together. I can't believe he's going to propose – that will be awesome though. Harry and I will finally really be brothers."

"They won't be able to get married for a while," Hermione commented. "Ginny's only fifteen. I'm a bit surprised they are so serious with everything else going on."

"Harry's always wanted a family," Neville said. "I'm not surprised he would want to start a new one."

"I hope the other letters Dobby had to deliver were to my parents," Ron commented, obviously not paying attention to the others' conversation.

"I imagine so," Neville replied. "Ginny wouldn't want your parents to worry."

"That's true," Ron smiled. "I'm so glad they are happy and together. I wonder where Sirius' house is?"

"Maybe in France," Hermione said. "His family is originally from France." She sat up. "We should have put a tracking charm on Dobby."

Neville looked at her in shock. "Hermione, that's illegal."

"What?"

"You can't use any charms or potions on a house elf that would cause the elf to betray their Master's secrets," Neville explained. "I'm sure that Sirius has his house under some heavy enchantments and Dobby has surely been sworn to secrecy. I mean, after Kreacher he wouldn't take any chances."

"Oh," Hermione replied in a small voice. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to Dobby." She fell silent as she thought about everything that had happened. She was thrilled that they'd heard from Harry and Ginny, but she really wished she knew where they were. While Ron and Neville seemed perfectly fine with Sirius as Harry's guardian, she wasn't entirely certain he was responsible enough to watch out for them and keep them safe.

* * *

Harry sank down on the couch, resting his head on the back of it. His scar had been burning all day and pain was flaring. Moaning, he pressed the heel of his hand into his forehead. Ginny was reading out by the pool, but the sunlight was bothering his eyes and making his headache worse.

"Harry, you okay?"

He didn't bother opening his eyes as his godfather entered the room. He felt the couch dip as Sirius as down next to him. A cool flannel was placed against his scar.

"That feels good," he whispered. He didn't want to talk too loudly or move, because he was afraid he would vomit on the spot.

"Headache?" Sirius asked quietly. Without waiting for Harry to answer, he held a vial of potion up to Harry's mouth. "Swallow this. It will help with the headache."

Obediently Harry swallowed. It took several minutes, but he finally felt he could open his eyes. He smiled at his godfather. "Thanks, that feels a lot better."

Sirius gave him a one-armed hug and a kiss on the forehead. "No problem." He smiled at the younger wizard. "I figured if you were passing up on the chance to ogle your beautiful girlfriend in a bikini, then something was wrong."

Blushing, Harry smiled slightly before closing his eyes again. Sirius settled back onto the couch and pulled Harry's head down on his shoulder. "Rest for a while, Pup. I'll watch over you."

Sirius sat quietly watching the boy sleep. He felt so badly that his poor boy had to suffer so much. After a while, Harry stirred slightly and lifted his head off Sirius' shoulder.

"Dad?"

Sirius suddenly found it hard to speak, he had to swallow hard before he said, "No, Harry, it's Sirius."

Opening his eyes, Harry looked right at his godfather. He had a look in his eyes that Sirius found hard to identify.

"Can't you be my Dad?" Harry asked plaintively. He looked at Sirius with his heart in his eyes. "I don't think my dad would mind. I've always wanted a dad, but until…well I've never met anyone I wanted to be my dad until you."

Sirius was stunned, he'd never imagined that Harry would want him to be his father. His initial reaction was to say no, but as he looked into Harry's eyes he thought about what James would say. While he could never take James' place, he would do whatever he could for Harry.

Clearing his throat, Sirius asked, "Are you sure, Harry? I would love to be your dad and I know James wouldn't mind."

Any doubts he had were erased when Harry's face lit up. "Really?" Harry's voice cracked with emotion.

"Really," Sirius replied. "I've always thought of you as mine. I couldn't love you more if you were my own flesh and blood son."

Harry wrapped his arms around Sirius. "I love you, too." He paused a moment before adding, "Dad." He laughed. "I like the sound of that."

"I do too, kiddo."

* * *

Remus sat back in the chair and shook his head. "Africa. For some reason, I never would have thought to look in Africa."

Sirius laughed. "Good, that's what I want to hear." He sobered for a moment. "I am really sorry I had to leave you behind. I…Harry was so sick and once the Death Eaters came, we just had to get out of there."

"I understand," Remus said. He watched as Sirius moved around behind the well-stocked bar in what he called the 'party room', pouring another ale. He was struck by how much more at home Sirius looked here than he ever had at Grimmauld Place. "How is Harry?"

Sirius beamed proudly at Harry's name. "He's great. My poor boy, he was in bad shape. That bitch, Bellatrix…" Sirius trailed off for a moment. "She tortured him. He's had nightmares about that night and about that place. I think Africa has done wonders for him." He laughed. "Well, Africa or Ginny or some combination of the two."

Remus smiled. "Good." He looked around before asking, "Where is he?"

"He has recently learned to drive," Sirius explained. "He loves driving and he and Ginny wanted to go into town this afternoon. They should be back soon." He eyed his long-time friend. "How bad are things?"

Remus sighed. "It's been bad recently. Death Eater attacks have stepped up in both frequency and ferocity. Giant attacks have been reported in the North and Red Caps have been wreaking havoc on Muggles visiting historic sites in both Scotland and even London." He shook his head as he recalled the scene of the fatal Red Cap attack he'd seen. "I haven't seen anything that bad in years. I suspect the Red Caps have been imported to London as they haven't been seen in the capital in over three hundred years."

He sipped his ale as he thought over the reports he'd heard at the most recent Order meeting. "It isn't all bad. Average wizarding people stepped in and saved a Muggle family who was being attacked. In the tower of London, a wizard who was visiting the tower with his family fought off the Red Caps, saving the Muggles under attack. A pair of witches did the same when the Hampton Court Palace maze turned deadly for a Muggle family."

"It's nice to be reminded that there are still people out there who want to do the right thing," Sirius remarked as Remus fell silent.

Remus nodded. "Tonks was hurt in an attack last week."

Sirius sat up. "Is she alright?"

"She is," Remus said. "Or she will be. She was pinned down by Bellatrix, but Kingsley and his group of Aurors were able to rescue her. She was very ill the first few days, but her mum thinks she will make a full recovery."

"That's good," Sirius said relief obvious on his face. "Has Dumbledore made any progress with finding more Horcruxes?"

"No," Remus replied a bit glumly. "He thought he had a lead on Hufflepuff's cup, but the lead fizzled out. He did review Arthur's memories of his attack and he is fairly certain that Nagini is one of the Horcruxes."

"Good. Any more guesses on what the other item might be?"

"He thought it might be Ravenclaw's quill, but that has been displayed at the Scottish Museum of Wizarding History for hundreds of years. Bill and Fleur visited it a few weeks ago and he is certain it is not a Horcrux," Remus replied. "Filius has started researching for other Ravenclaw relics. I'm not certain what story Albus told him, but I know he didn't mention the Horcruxes."

"Well, I guess at least items are being crossed off the list," Sirius said, trying to put a positive view on things.

Before he could say anything else, the two old friends heard a car pull up in the front drive. Sirius stood with an expectant smile and Remus followed suit. Remus listened at the sound of the front door opening, he glanced over at his friend who said, "Don't worry, this house is very well warded. It's Harry."

"Dad! Dad!"

Remus raised his eyebrows at the form of address, but before he could say anything Sirius headed for the foyer. Remus followed his friend at a bit of a distance.

He watched as Sirius joined the rather excited young man in the foyer. Harry looked good, he was fit and healthy looking. A pretty young woman followed Harry at a slight distance. It took Remus a moment to identify her as Ginny Weasley. She looked much older than the last time Remus had seen her. While she wasn't much taller, she had matured into a beautiful young woman. She was watching Harry with a smile on her face.

Turning his attention back to Harry, Remus heard him talking to Sirius.

"It was so amazing, Dad, you should have seen it," Harry was saying enthusiastically.

"How big was it?" Sirius asked with a smile on his face.

"It looked so tiny next to the other giraffes, but it was probably my height," Harry replied. "The other giraffes were huddled around it, protecting it."

"It was really cute," Ginny agreed as she joined the two. She wrapped her arm around Harry's waist and he automatically wrapped his arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on the side of her head.

"Was it on our lands?"

Harry nodded. "I marked its position like you showed me."

"Good," Sirius replied. "I'll make sure the proper protections are placed on it. I'm glad the calf was finally born. The poor mum was looking a bit worse for wear the other week when we were out flying."

He glanced over his shoulder and beckoned Remus forward.

Harry's eyes lit up with delight. "Remus!"

Stepping forward, Remus was happy to greet the boy with a hug. Ginny stepped forward and smiled at him. "Professor."

He smiled kindly down at the girl. "Please, Ginny, call me Remus. I haven't been your professor for several years."

She blushed slightly, but smiled. "Remus. It's good to see you."

"I am certainly glad to see the two of you." He shook his head as he looked over at Harry. "I can't believe how good the two of you look. You look so much older than the last time I saw you."

The four of them trouped back into the party room. Remus watched as Harry headed back behind the bar. He was curious to see what Sirius would say. To his surprise, Harry bypassed the tap from which Sirius had been pouring the ale and opened a cold cupboard. He grabbed a butterbeer and turned to Ginny. "Do you want one, sweetie?"

Ginny nodded and Harry grabbed two butterbeers before joining the others. Sirius caught the two young people up on the conversation that had taken place before they arrived. Remus took to opportunity to observe Harry and Sirius. He noticed a new closeness in their relationship, he wasn't certain of the cause of it, but it was rather obvious.

Harry and Ginny's relationship was rather a surprise to him as well. He knew the two of them were involved, but he was surprised at the open affection between the two of them.

Shortly after Harry and Ginny arrived back at the house, Dobby arrived to announce that lunch was ready. The four humans followed the little elf out to the top deck of the multi-levelled deck that looked out over the pool.

* * *

"The view is amazing," Harry breathed as he stood on the balcony of their holiday house at Victoria Bay. He turned and looked at his father. "How far is it to the water?"

"Just under two kilometres," Sirius said as he slung his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"That's great," Harry said with a smile as he peered around at the other holiday houses that dotted the landscape.

"I've checked the other houses as best I can," Sirius said. "Bill and Fleur erected defensive wards as well as notification wards around the house. We will be notified if anyone uses magic within 15 kilometres. According to our information, there is no one magical in the vicinity."

"According to our information?" Harry asked with a grin. "That sounds very official."

Sirius laughed. "Tonks discretely checked into the area for us. She will be here towards the end of the week, but Remus will join us when you start testing. They'll help with security."

"That's good," Ginny said as she joined the two of them. "Sirius, that room is great. Are you sure you don't want it? Those two beds in the room you and Harry are sharing don't look very big."

Sirius laughed, "They'll be fine. I can always enlarge them if need be."

Meanwhile, Harry was wandering around the deck, surveying the grounds. "Dad, did you see this? They have a barbeque grill. Maybe we can grill out one night."

The other two joined him as he hurried down the steps to the barbeque area. There was a large stainless steel grill with stonework built around it. The grill was actually part of a larger outdoor kitchen complete with granite counter tops, a sink, and small refrigerator. Several benches as well as a large round outdoor table filled the clearing Beyond the clearing was a path with a handmade sign that read 'Beach' with an arrow.

"This is amazing," Harry said as he checked out all of the equipment.

"Maybe we could find some fresh fish," Ginny suggested. "David used to do that sometimes last summer." She looked over at her boyfriend. "Do you know how to use the grill?"

Looking up from where he was now crouched next to the grill, Harry nodded with an excited grin on his face. "This will be fun."

Sirius watched his new son with a proud smile on his face. He was so glad that he was able to be with Harry when they were both having fun. It was such a big change in both of them from the gloom and uncertainty that had pervaded Grimmauld Place to the joy and happiness they had found in Africa. Certainly they still had hurdles to overcome, but Sirius was determined that Harry would not be left to his own devices as had happened so many times in the past.

* * *

Sirius led the group as they walked down Adderley Street away from the Civic Centre which is where the African version of the Knight Bus dropped them off. In South Africa the Muggle and Magical world were quite segregated and Magical transport was restricted to a few official stops in each major city.

Harry and Ginny followed Sirius while Bill and Fleur walked behind them. According to plan, Remus was already supposed to be in the Company Gardens which housed the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Like its counterpart in London, the Ministry in Cape Town was underground and close to the Muggle government.

As Adderley Street ended, the group crossed over Wale Street to reach the entrance to the Company Gardens. Ginny reached over and took Harry's hand as they walked through the garden.

"It is so pretty here," she whispered.

"Glad we aren't taking our OWLs in the cold and rain," Harry replied in an equally quiet voice. He grinned as they passed the library. "I bet Hermione would love to visit a library that big."

Ginny giggled. "Can I just say I'm glad I don't have to?"

He smiled down at her as they followed Sirius down a path. There appeared to be three main paths leading down through the garden. A variety of tourists were walking along the paths that were dotted with statues and areas of interest. After they passed the oldest pear tree in South Africa, they reached a fountain. Harry noticed Remus on the other side of the statue, but as Sirius didn't acknowledge him, neither did Harry.

Leaning over to the teens, Sirius said quietly, "We will be following this path. Just past the tea room there is a Visitors' Centre, the entrance to the Ministry is in the Visitors' Centre. Just follow me, okay?"

Harry and Ginny nodded and followed Sirius. Once they entered the Visitors' Centre, Sirius led them to a set of double doors. As they walked through the double doors, Harry could feel the waves of magic.

A young witch sat behind a desk in front of what appeared to be an elevator. Sirius approached her and flashed his most charming smile. "My son and his girlfriend are here to take their OWLs."

The girl flushed slightly under Sirius' smile, but collected herself enough to direct them. "Of course, sir. Take the lift down to floor two, there is a large atrium and the Department of Education is off to the left hand side. There are signs to direct you."

"Thank you," Sirius smiled in response as he led the others to the lift. Harry rolled his eyes at his father's obvious flirting, but didn't say anything.

They exited the lift to a large atrium. Towards the back of the atrium was a large fountain in front of a double spiral staircase leading down to other floors of the Ministry. A large sign directed them to the Department of Transportation on the right and the Department of Education on the left.

As they started down the corridor, Harry started feeling more and more nervous. He'd felt very confident the night before when he and Ginny had been quizzing each other, but as he walked down the corridor he started panicking a bit. Looking over at his girlfriend, he could see the same nerves in her eyes as well. Reaching over he took her hand and squeezed it. Somehow just the feel of Ginny calmed him a bit.

At the end of the corridor was an ornate mahogany door with a sign that read 'Department of Education' and 'Onderwys Departement'. They entered what appeared to be a waiting room. Sirius and Bill walked up to the desk to talk to the Ministry official.

More to distract himself, he leaned over to Ginny and asked, "Do you know what the other language is?"

"Afrikaans, I think," she replied after a moment. She shot a reproving glance at her boyfriend. "I was trying to read my travel guide the other day and someone wanted to play so I didn't get to read."

Harry laughed as he wrapped his free arm around her and kissed her quickly on the forehead. "I couldn't help myself. You just looked so incredibly beautiful sitting there. Besides, you didn't put up too much of a fight."

She smiled up at him. "I couldn't help myself, you looked rather incredible yourself."

He blushed slightly and hugged her to him. They stood like that, just holding each other for a moment before Fleur cleared her throat. "They are ready for you."

As they joined the others, a Ministry official joined them near the welcome desk. She was a tall dark skinned woman with short hair wearing brightly coloured robes. She had a warm smile that set both teens at ease. After taking the folder proffered by her colleague she greeted the teens, "Welcome, I am Madam Engelbretch."

"Hello," Harry and Ginny responded and they each introduced themselves. Madam Engelbretch shook their hands. "Come, we have much work to do."

Glancing over at Sirius who nodded his approval, Harry followed the woman down another corridor to a small classroom. He and Ginny started to sit next to each other, but Madam Engelbretch said, "Please don't sit next to each other. You may each take out two quills and a pot of ink."

Colouring slightly, Harry moved two seats down from Ginny and both of them set their quills and ink on their desks. Madam Engelbretch stood on the slightly raised platform in the front of the room. Opening the file, she looked over the paperwork. She raised an eyebrow at the information.

"You have a busy schedule for the next week," she commented. Setting the file on the table behind her, she looked sternly at them. "You will be starting with your Charms OWL, followed by Herbology. The written portion will be administered this morning while the practical portion will be administered this afternoon. You will have 90 minutes for each exam with a fifteen minute break in between them. There will be an hour for lunch and 60 minutes for each practical exam. If you finish before time is called, please turn in your parchment and you may wait in the waiting area at the end of the hall or sit quietly at your desk. There is a bathroom three doors down along the corridor, if you need to use the bathroom during your exam you will turn over your exam and raise your hand."

She looked at both of them and determined that they were indeed paying attention. Leaving the platform, she walked over to each of them and waved her wand. Harry tensed, but the spell did nothing. Madam Engelbretch seemed pleased.

"Excellent," she said as she returned to the platform. "Neither of you have brought any notes or cheating aids and your quill and inks conform to the rules. Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to the examination booklets and I will be proctoring your examinations."

She surveyed the teens. "Do you have any questions?"

When both teens shook their heads, she took out her wand and sent each of them a blue coloured examination booklet. Once they had received them, she sent them each a test. Madam Engelbretch took her seat behind the desk and on the wall in back of her a golden 90:00 lit up. As she said, "You may start," the clock started counting down. Harry's hand shook slightly as he opened the examination. To his relief, the first question read _a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make an object fly…*_

He felt a bit homesick as he heard Hermione's voice in his head, "You're saying it wrong." With a smile he quickly wrote out the answer. Overall, he found the exam slightly easier than he had expected. As he finished the last question, he looked up to see there were 20 minutes left in the examination time. Ginny had left the room a few minutes before he had, so Harry turned in his exam and after a quick stop at the loo, he walked to the end of the hall.

Ginny had helped herself to some tea from a table against the wall. Harry did the same before dropping down next to her.

She smiled over at him. "It wasn't quite as bad as I thought. I've heard about OWLs for years and I have to admit I was a bit nervous."

Wrapping an arm around her, he agreed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I always feel better when I know the answer to the first question."

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked after a moment. "You seem really quiet or something."

"When I was answering the question about making things fly…I thought of Hermione correcting Ron's pronunciation first year." He was quiet for a moment before he said, "I miss them. It just really hit me for some reason."

Leaning up she kissed him softly. "I know it's hard. I get like that sometimes too."

He smiled down at her. "Thanks for being here with me." He pulled her a bit closer and closed his eyes for a moment before laughing. "I was just imagining Hermione during OWLs. I have to say I'm glad I missed that. Can you see her studying six or eight hours a day and forcing me and Ron to do the same? Then after every test she likes to go over each question." His voice changed, mimicking Hermione, "What did you get on question 12? I'm not certain I answered it fully enough. I used twelve extra sheets of parchment, but I'm not sure I got my point across."

Ginny started laughing. "Merlin! My friend, Laura is like that. She used to drive us insane. Between Colin whinging beforehand that he's sure he'll fail and Laura pestering us after…" She shook her head smiling. "I never thought I'd miss their craziness."

The day flew by and as they headed back to Victoria Bay that evening, Harry and Ginny felt both tired and hopeful that their exams would continue to go well. Tuesday and Wednesday followed the same pattern. Thursday was a bit different as they only had morning exams taking both Muggle Studies and History of Magic.

After lunch, instead of heading back to the Ministry, they did some sightseeing. They visited the Iziko South African Museum, exploring the museum, the planetarium, as well as the houses attached to the museum. In the early evening they took a cable car up to Table Mountain enjoying the views of the city. They took a short hike before returning to the city to eat dinner.

Friday morning Harry woke early. He glanced at the clock and groaned, it was 5:30 in the morning, but he knew from experience he wouldn't get back to sleep. Deciding he might as well get some reading in, he took a quick shower and took his Ancient Runes book out to the balcony to get in some last minute revising.

Remus and Tonks were sprawled out on the two couches in the sitting room. Tonks had joined them in Cape Town Thursday afternoon. She was much quieter than Harry remembered her being, but she was still recovering from her fight with her Aunt Bellatrix. Remus seemed unusually solicitous of her much to Sirius' amusement. Harry walked quietly across the room and sat down on one of the lounge chairs to read.

It was almost an hour later before he started hearing people moving around inside. He looked up when the sliding glass door opened and Sirius appeared with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Harry. "Here you go, pup. One cup of milk and sugar with a little bit of coffee."

Harry laughed, "That's certainly better than that horrible black stuff you drink."

Sirius shook his head. "Black coffee is the only way to go." He took a sip of his coffee before asking, "Your head hurting?"

"No," Harry denied. "I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep."

"Okay," Sirius said after a moment. "You'll tell me if your head starts hurting, right?"

"Yes, Dad," Harry said with a smile.

That morning Harry and Ginny took their last two written exams – Ancient Runes and Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was an early afternoon as they only had one practical exam. Harry was in the waiting room with a smile on his face when Ginny finished.

She smiled when she caught sight of him. "Everything okay?"

Nodding he embraced her, holding her close for a minute before spinning her around. He set her on the ground with a big kiss. "We're done!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm. "We are."

Reluctantly he let go of her, but laced his fingers through hers. "I want to get back to the holiday house and enjoy that beach one more time before heading back home."

* * *

Harry quickly changed into his board shorts and beach shoes once they returned to the house. Grabbing a towel, he knocked on Ginny's door.

"You ready, sweetie?" he asked when she answered the door.

"Almost," she said. "You go ahead. Bill and Fleur said they would walk down with me."

"Okay," he said as he leaned down to kiss her. What started as a simple kiss evolved rapidly and when they broke away, Harry rested his forehead on hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied with a smile. She pushed him away, but her hand trailing down his chest rather ruined the effect. "Go away. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Laughing, he headed down to the main level. Tonks looked up when he entered the sitting room. "Wotcher, kiddo. You heading down to the beach?"

He nodded and Tonks said, "I'll go with you. Sirius would have a fit if you went down by yourself."

"Sure, no problem," he replied easily. As he headed out to the patio, Sirius called out from the kitchen, "Don't forget the Sunscreen Charm!"

"Okay!" Harry yelled back. He quickly complied and headed down to the path that led to their private beach access. Tonks followed in a rather eye catching bikini top, a pair of cargo shorts, and her favourite combat boots. Her bubble gum pink hair was longer then she normally wore it with curls.

"How were your OWLs?" she asked as they headed to the beach.

"Not bad," he shrugged, not overly eager to talk about them.

He hurried up a bit and reached the beach before she did. Their beach really was private with soft white sand and clear green-blue water. Further out on the bay, he could see some boaters already taking advantage of the warm day. Setting his towel down, he kicked off his shoes sinking his feet into the warm sand. He really did love the beach.

"Are you going to come in the water?" he asked Tonks as he turned to face her.

To his surprise, she was holding her wand on him.

"Tonks?"

Looking around, Harry realized that they were quite alone and his wand was several feet away. Eyeing the Auror, he knew she could get to him before he could get to his wand.

"Tonks, what is going on?" he asked desperately.

She stared at him for a moment before smiling. "I've been waiting a long time to do this. _Crucio_!"


	12. Chapter 12 The Importance of Family

******A/N: Thanks to StephanieO for her beta work. At the end of the chapter, I have the approximate Latin translations for the phrases used. I used Google Translate, so any errors are mine. I chose the translations I thought worked the best. I would also like to thank my cousin, Matt, for sharing his knowledge of Cairo. I have tried to write Fleur's accent, I hope it works well. Lastly, there is a reference to BCE which means Before Common Era.**

* * *

**_May 30 – August 5, 1997_**

Harry screamed as the torture course hit him. When Tonks released the curse for a moment, it was all Harry could do to stare at her. Why on earth was Tonks torturing him? She'd always been so nice to him, not to mention the fact the she was an Auror and she'd joined the Order to fight Death Eaters. It didn't make any sense.

A moment later, his confusion multiplied when Bellatrix Lestrange appeared next to her normally estranged niece. She smiled at the scene in front of her. "Congratulations, niece, you have done well."

She hit Harry with a Bludgeoning Curse and he felt at least two of his ribs snap. Turning to the younger witch, Bellatrix asked, "Did you discover his safe house?"

"No, ma'am," Tonks replied in a strangely hollow tone of voice. "Sirius is being very careful with the boy's safety."

"No matter," the older witch replied.

Bellatrix laughed when she saw Harry's confusion, before hitting him with another Cruciatus Curse. A split second later, another curse hit him, this one from Tonks. The aunt and niece duo worked in tandem applying the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was unbearable, Harry's back arched off the sand and he started convulsing from the pain.

"How's the back, Harry?" Bellatrix taunted as she slashed at him with a quick succession of cutting curses. Harry tried to roll out of the way, but the pain from the torture curse was slowing his responses.

"Black knows the prophecy," Tonks told her aunt. "I think the boy knows, but Remus doesn't."

Bellatrix did not look pleased. "Anything else? Did you discover how he escaped?"

"The girl," Tonks replied. "His girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, took a Portkey off one of the Death Eaters and smuggled him out of the castle. She found one of Draco's old brooms in a cupboard."

With a scream of frustration, Bellatrix turned the torture curse on Harry once again. He had a brief reprieve when Bellatrix looked up and quickly cast several spells Harry was not familiar with in the direction of the path. The reason for that soon became apparent when he heard barking coming closer. Harry looked up in time to see his dad get thrown back against the sand as he ran into what appeared to be some sort of shield. Harry's heart sank. He'd really been counting on being rescued quickly.

He tried to clear his head and devise some sort of plan, but the pain and fear for those on the other side of the shield were clouding his thinking. As he watched, Bellatrix did something he could not see, but he somehow felt it was not good. When she turned back around, he could see her Dark Mark gleaming in the bright African sunlight.

Tonks sent several cutting curses towards the newcomers. She must have hit someone as Harry heard a familiar scream and his heart sank. He should have known his girl wouldn't stay behind.

"Don't hurt her!"

Bellatrix turned and smiled at him. "Wittle Hawwy doesn't want me to hurt the wittle girl? Is she special to you?"

Harry glared at her, but when she turned back to the newcomers he somehow managed to summon his wand. Before he could use it, Tonks hit him with yet another Cruciatus.

"Tonks, no!"

Bellatrix laughed at the pain and anguish audible in Remus' voice. "What's wrong, wolfie? I would think you'd be used to people betraying you by now."

"I don't zink she eez acting of her own accord," Fleur said.

"No, She eez not!" Bellatrix agreed in an exaggerated French accent, mocking the younger witch. "Nymphadora, stop."

Tonks stopped torturing Harry and stood facing her aunt, obviously waiting for her next instructions. As Harry caught his breath, he realized that Tonks had a very blank stare on her face.

"What have you done to her, you bitch?!" Harry was relieved to hear Sirius' voice.

He turned so he could see those behind him more clearly. Bill was doing something, Harry imagined he was trying to bring down whatever shield Bellatrix and Tonks had put up. Sirius was stalking angrily behind the shield, reminding Harry of a caged tiger. Remus was just watching Tonks with such an expression of pain and disbelief that Harry couldn't watch him. Ginny and Fleur were working with Bill, casting spells at the shield on his command.

Bellatrix laughed. "I fooled that Muggle lover Dumbledore, didn't I? I can't believe he didn't check little Nymphadora more carefully after her fight."

Harry moved slightly, pain lanced through him, but Bellatrix was so busy taunting her cousin she didn't pay any attention to him.

"_Stupefy!"_ Harry yelled as he stunned Tonks. He wanted her out of the way so Bellatrix couldn't continue to use her.

Bellatrix whirled around with anger visible on her face as she realized what happened. _"Crucio!"_

"No!" Harry heard Ginny shout.

He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on her voice. It gave him strength. When Bellatrix next broke off her curse, Harry forced himself to his feet. Bellatrix watched him with an expression of curiosity and contempt on her face.

"_Diffindo!"_ he yelled.

Bellatrix blocked that spell and returned fire. The two exchanged a flurry of spells and Harry was gratified when he actually hit her with one of his cutting curses. While it hardly slowed her down, he'd at least drawn blood.

Suddenly pain spiked through his head and felt almost as though it was cleaved in half. He dropped to his knees, but managed to keep a hold of his wand. Bellatrix didn't do anything; she merely stood with her wand at the ready and watched him. It made Harry wonder if she'd expected that to happen.

A second later, he understood what was happening as the pop of Apparition sounded next to him. Shakily he looked up and to his horror, he saw Lord Voldemort standing in front of him. He vaguely heard the gasps of his friends in the background, but most of his attention was focused on the monster in front of him. Determinedly, he got to his feet. He refused to face his enemy while he was on his knees.

"Harry," the monster said in his oddly high pitched, sibilant voice.

"He knows the prophecy, Master," Bellatrix said as she bowed to her master.

"Excellent," he replied as he watched Harry.

Harry looked up and met those vibrant scarlet eyes. Although he didn't hear any spells, suddenly he could feel Voldemort sliding into his mind. Whereas Snape's version of Legilimency often felt like a battering ram in his mind, Voldemort's was silkier. He slithered through Harry's memories seeking the one he wanted. Vainly, Harry tried to bring up his rather rudimentary Occlumency skills to supress the memories of Sirius sharing the prophecy, but Voldemort prodded around until he was watching Harry's memory of that moment.

Voldemort withdrew from his mind as quickly as he'd entered. He regarded the boy thoughtfully while Bellatrix looked eagerly between her master and the boy.

Bringing up his wand, Harry cast a cutting spell and caught Voldemort on the arm. It was barely a scratch, but it was more the fact that Harry had actually hit him. With a howl of displeasure, Voldemort brought up his wand.

"_Crucio!"_

The pain was even worse than when Bellatrix and Tonks had attacked him together. It felt as though he was literally being shredded with incredibly sharp knives. When Voldemort let up, Harry lay panting in the sand. He felt his blood dripping into the sand. He vaguely wondered if he was going to die on this warm stretch of beach.

A shadow fell across him as Voldemort stood over him. "I shall take some time to consider this 'prophecy', but we shall meet again, Harry Potter. The next time we meet, I will destroy you."

Voldemort turned with an imperious swish of his robes while Bellatrix took the time to kick Harry in his already injured ribs. He heard the pops of Apparition as they left.

"Harry!" He heard Ginny and Sirius as they rushed to his side. They dropped to their knees on either side of him. Ginny leaned over him blocking out the sun. He tried to smile at her to reassure her that he was fine, but the black spots that had been hovering around the edge of his vision took over. He passed out.

* * *

Remus rushed over to Tonks as soon as the shield dropped. As he drew his wand to awaken her, Bill pushed his arm down.

"No," Bill said firmly. "We can't wake her here."

"We need to see how badly she was injured," Remus said as his eyes roamed over his girlfriend searching for any injury.

"She wasn't injured," Bill replied. "Harry stunned her. We don't know what's going on and until we do, Harry is our biggest concern."

He turned to his girlfriend. "Take Tonks back up to the house and keep her contained in our room. If she makes any moves, stun her again."

"Of course," Fleur replied. She turned to Remus. "Would you like to carry 'er? We don't want to 'urt 'er."

Remus gently picked up the fallen Auror and carried her to the beach house. When they reached the house, Remus lay her on the bed while Fleur cast Anti-Apparition Charms and magically locked the door.

He glared at the French woman who calmly met his glare. "Remus, I know you don't like eet, but she attacked 'Arry. She held eem under ze Cruciatus and gave information to her aunt."

"But, you said yourself that she was not acting of her own accord," Remus argued. "She hates the Dark Arts, she would never knowingly assist her aunt."

"And yet she deed," Fleur replied.

Remus sank into a chair near the bed looking lost and confused. He felt the same sense of loss and confusion as he had over fifteen years earlier when his whole world had imploded.

"How could it have happened?" he mumbled.

"Obviously, Bellatrix heet 'er wiz zome zort of curse," Fleur replied. "She acted almost like she was under ze Imperius Curse, but not until Bellatrix arrived. Maybe eet was zome variation of zat."

Remus thought back over the past few weeks since her fight with Bellatrix. Tonks had been quieter than normal, but she was still her sparkly fun-loving self. He groaned as he thought of the potential harm she could have caused. He and Sirius had actually argued over Sirius letting Remus and Tonks into the secret of their home. At the time he'd thought Sirius was going a bit overboard, but now he realized that Sirius had learned well from the mistakes of years ago – much better it appeared than he had.

"I don't detect any ozzer spells," Fleur announced after a moment.

Sitting up straight, Remus watched as Fleur reversed the Stunning Spell. Tonks opened her eyes slowly and looked around in confusion. "What happened?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Remus asked.

Tonks sat up and scrunched up her forehead in confusion. "Harry and I were headed down to the beach. What happened? Is Harry okay?"

"No, he's not," Bill said from the doorway. He looked over at Fleur. "Sirius needs your help."

"What happened?" Tonks asked again after Fleur left the room. She paled as she listened to Bill's recitation of the events at the beach.

"I…I helped her?" she asked faintly. "I cast the Cruciatus?"

Suddenly she leaned over the bed and vomited. Bill cleaned it up without comment.

Leaning back against the pillows, Tonks looked over at Remus. "Remus, I don't know what happened. I would never knowingly hurt Harry."

"I know," he replied reaching out to take her hand.

Ignoring the byplay Bill asked, "Are you missing any other periods of time? Time when you don't recall how you arrived somewhere?"

Tonks thought back over the past few weeks and shook her head. "I had a great bleeding headache for the first few days after the fight, but I assumed that was because of my injuries. I don't think I was missing any time."

"Tell me about the fight," Bill said.

"There's no reason to make her relive all of that," Remus interrupted. "She's already told Dumbledore everything."

"And yet we still missed something," Bill replied evenly.

"It's okay," Tonks said softly. "I was one of a group of Aurors who had been dispatched to investigate reports of 'dark activities.' When we arrived, a group of Death Eaters were attacking a family. Kingsley got the family out and I got ahead of the group and ended up with Bellatrix. I didn't realize who she was at first as she was masked, but when she realized who I was she couldn't resist the opportunity to reveal herself. She started taunting me and she hit me with several curses. I didn't recognize all of them. I managed to find some shelter, but I couldn't get past her. After several long minutes, Kingsley broke into the room and Bellatrix left."

She looked up at Bill. "How is Harry?"

"He's in bad shape," Bill replied shortly. Before he could continue, Fleur entered the room. "We need to leave. Sirius and ze ozzers 'ave already left."

"Sirius left?" Remus asked rather distraught.

"'E needed to see to 'Arry," Fleur replied a touch coolly.

"You don't want to see him now," Bill added. "He is furious and I'm afraid he would say something he would later regret."

* * *

Sirius and Ginny tucked Harry into bed back in their Kenyan home. They'd given him pain potions, anti-Cruciatus potion, and fixed his broken ribs. As Ginny leaned over him, Harry managed to open his eyes.

"Gin," was all he could manage.

"I'm here, love," Ginny said softly.

"You're safe now, kiddo," Sirius added.

Harry looked over at his dad and tried to smile. His eyes drifted shut. Ginny climbed into bed next to him.

Sirius dropped a kiss on Harry's forehead and turned to Ginny. "I'm going to ensure that all of the protections are in place. Dobby is preparing another safe house for us in case we need to move."

Nodding, Ginny relaxed for the first time since she'd realized something was wrong. Soon after Harry had headed out to the beach, Ginny had felt something was horribly wrong. She'd run down and yelled for the others to follow. Sirius must have picked up on the seriousness of the situation for he turned into Padfoot and raced ahead of them.

Standing behind the shield and watching the woman she thought of as a friend torture the man she loved was horrible. She didn't know what had come over Tonks and quite frankly right now she didn't really care. Tonks had plenty of people to look after her, but Harry only had her and Sirius at the moment.

Leaning up on her elbow, she looked down at Harry. He'd been through so much and it really infuriated her that he couldn't even enjoy a trip to the beach without being a target. She wondered what difference it would make now that Tom knew the prophecy. She knew Harry would be upset, but she was really glad that knowledge of the prophecy was all that he was after.

Lying down, she put her head on Harry's shoulder. He automatically wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled closer to him. In his arms was really where she felt the safest in the world.

* * *

Remus looked anxiously over at Tonks as they headed down to the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

"I'm fine, Remus," Tonks said with a smile.

He managed a tight smile in return. "I just hope they have some answers. It's been almost three weeks, I really expected Dumbledore to have come up with an answer right away."

Tonks just squeezed his hand as they headed downstairs. She knew he was extremely worried about her. He was also concerned that he hadn't heard from Sirius. They'd learned from Bill that Harry had recovered and was doing well, but Sirius and Ginny were both still furious about what had happened. Tonks was struggling with the guilt over what she'd done on so many levels. She had betrayed the greatest hope for the Wizarding world, her cousin's godson, and a boy she had come to care about very much.

There were more people than she expected in the kitchen. Her mother came over and hugged her, leading her to one side of the table. Bill and Fleur were there as well as Emmeline Vance. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick were already sitting at the head of the table.

Tonks looked at the professors anxiously. "What have you discovered?"

To her surprise, it was Professor Flitwick who answered, "I believe I have discovered the charm used on you. May I check to confirm my hypothesis?"

"Of course," Tonks replied sitting up straight and letting go of Remus' hand. Professor Flitwick cast some type of revealing spell and nodded. He seemed pleased with what he'd discovered.

"The cast Bellatrix used is a very old magical spell. It was used to ensure a child's compliance with the family's decisions – such as an arranged marriage or something along those lines. It is Dark Magic and obviously not used much. The incantation for the spell is _Pareo Prosapia_ which roughly translates to 'I obey the family.' It is based on the same magic as the Imperius Curse, but the spell will only work if the person who cast the spell is related to the person upon whom the spell was cast."

Tonks stared at the diminutive professor in horror. "So because she's my aunt, I need to obey her?"

Professor Dumbledore is the one who answered, "I believe so, but from what I've gathered from both your memory and Remus' memory it was triggered by a specific set of circumstances. From what I observed, the time at the beach was the first time you were alone with Harry, is that correct?"

Thinking back, Tonks nodded. "Yes, he was usually with Ginny or Sirius, so that was the first time I'd seen him alone. I've been working with my mum and we've uncovered some memories that I think had been supressed or hidden from me somehow. I only remembered after she used some sort of spell to release the memories and some Veritaserum. I had a sense of arguing with someone, with a voice in my head. She wanted me to get Harry alone and she had me ask about the safe house. I think…I think she wanted me to try to seduce him. It was very disconcerting."

"Can we break it?" Andromeda Tonks asked anxiously.

"Perhaps," Professor Dumbledore replied. "Bellatrix is older than you, correct?"

Andromeda nodded. Professor Dumbledore looked thoughtful before replying, "I imagine that because this spell is based on blood and family that as head of the Black Family, Sirius would be able to break the spell."

Looking over at Remus, Professor Dumbledore asked, "Do you believe Sirius would be willing to break the spell?"

"I think so," Remus replied. "He was furious, but I can't imagine he would leave Tonks vulnerable to Bellatrix if he could help her. The issue is, would he leave Harry?"

"Are you in contact with him?"

"I can contact him," Remus countered.

"Excellent," Professor Dumbledore responded. "I will wait to hear from you that you've heard from him."

"What do I do in the meantime?" Tonks asked. "Am I safe to go back to work? What happens if I start helping the Death Eaters I'm supposed to be apprehending?"

"I don't believe that will happen," Professor Dumbledore replied. "I believe she somehow tied the spell to you being in Harry's presence. However it wouldn't hurt to make certain you are not in the field until this matter is cleared up."

* * *

"What?!" Remus yelled. "That is over six weeks away, that is damn well not acceptable. He can come sooner than that. I'll go out and stay with Harry for the day or you can go, but it is not fair to make Dora wait until August before Sirius will travel out here."

"He won't budge," Bill replied calmly. "He's concerned about Harry and wants to wait until after Harry turns seventeen before he'll consider coming to England."

"Do you know what Bellatrix can make her do?" Remus asked. "I've read up on this curse and it is nasty."

"I realize that," Bill said, "but Tonks hasn't had any other episodes. She's been fine and it took Harry almost a week to recover from the attack."

"It wasn't her fault," Remus said angrily. "She shouldn't be punished."

"He's not punishing her, he's looking out for Harry."

Remus glared at the younger wizard. He knew it was not Bill's fault that Sirius was being so cautious and honestly he couldn't fault Sirius for his guardedness now. With a sigh, he nodded. While he didn't totally blame Sirius, he thought Tonks should be a little higher on Sirius' priority list.

"I know," Remus grudgingly replied. "I just don't want Tonks to be at risk any longer than necessary. She is an innocent victim in all of this."

"I wouldn't say that to Sirius," Bill said warningly.

"Why not?" Remus asked aggressively.

"She is a fully trained Auror who was doing her job fighting Death Eaters. She wasn't, oh, say going to the beach with her family."

Remus coloured slightly. "Is Sirius angry?"

"He's furious," Bill replied. "He's angry at himself for allowing the two of you to help us, he's furious with Bellatrix, he's angry at you for not noticing there was something wrong and he's a bit upset at Tonks as well."

"It's not her fault!"

"It is not, but she held Harry under the Cruciatus and delivered him to Voldemort," Bill explained calmly.

"Resisting the Imperius Curse is not easy."

"Harry can resist Voldemort's Imperius so don't expect a lot of sympathy from him."

Before Remus could respond, Molly looked into the room. "Professor Dumbledore is ready to start the meeting."

"Okay, Mum, we'll be right there."

The two men joined the other members of the Order in the kitchen.

After the meeting ended, the Weasleys and professors lingered. Fleur was working and had not attended the meeting. Professor Dumbledore turned to Tonks. "I wonder if I might ask to view your memory of the event on the beach?"

Swallowing heavily, Tonks said, "I don't actually remember what happened myself."

"Might I look and see if I can find your memory?"

Nervously, she agreed. Professor Dumbledore smiled at her benignly as he met her eyes. After a few moments, he drew his wand and extracted the memory. Placing it in the Pensieve, he combined it with the memory he'd already retrieved from Remus. Once he seemed satisfied with the combination he said, "Let me play it."

Tonks moaned as she watched herself cast the Cruciatus Curse on Harry. She didn't remember this at all, it didn't seem real. Remus reached over and squeezed her hand. She managed to find a smile for him. She really didn't know what she would have done without him over the past few weeks.

Molly Weasley and Professor McGonagall both gasped when they saw Voldemort for the first time. The memory came to an end after Voldemort and Bellatrix Apparated away.

"Does that mean You-Know-Who knows the whole prophecy?" Arthur asked after a moment.

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore replied gravely. "I had hoped to keep the full prophecy from him."

"What does the full prophecy say?" Remus asked curiously.

Dumbledore looked at the company gathered around him. Tonks thought that perhaps he was weighing the pros and cons of telling them the prophecy. With a sigh, the older wizard replied, "It identifies Harry as the one who can defeat Voldemort. It does not explain how, but it refers to a 'power the Dark Lord knows not' that will aid him in defeating the Dark Lord. I believe the power is love. Harry has a great capacity to love and I believe it is his feelings that will aid him in his quest to defeat Voldemort."

Molly and Arthur were shocked into silence. Professor McGonagall looked shocked and sickened at the thought of one of her students being forced to face that monster. "How did Harry know the prophecy?"

"Sirius found a copy of the prophecy among James' papers," Remus explained. "He didn't tell me anything more about the prophecy, just that he found a copy of it. He must have told Harry."

"Does it make a huge difference that You-Know-Who knows the prophecy?" Arthur asked.

"I would prefer that he not know the whole prophecy, but in the end I don't believe it makes a huge difference. Voldemort was a bit more cautious when he didn't know the contents of the prophecy," Dumbledore said a bit unhappily.

"I do have some good news," Professor McGonagall said after a moment. She handed an envelope to the older Weasleys. "This is a copy of Ginny's owl results. Because of the unusual circumstances, as their last registered Head of House, I received copies of both of their results."

"Thank you," Molly said shakily as she took the envelope.

As the second meeting ended, Professor McGonagall discretely handed two envelopes to Bill. "I understand you can get the results to them."

He smiled. "Yes, ma'am. I will see to it that they get their results."

As he turned to leave, the older witch said, "Please tell them that they are missed. They both did quite well on their exams, I am proud of them."

* * *

As Bill entered Sirius' home, he could tell right away that things were much better. The last time he'd been here Harry was still recovering and Sirius had been very angry. Now he could hear the noise of people playing in the pool. He made his way out to the pool deck and found Sirius lounging in a chair watching Harry and Ginny swim and play in the pool.

Ginny was the first to spot him. "Bill!"

She swam over to the edge of the pool and grabbed a warmed towel off the table. After quickly drying off she hurried over to hug her brother. He smiled as he returned the hug.

"How are you doing, sweetie?"

"I'm good," she said as she glanced over at the pool. Harry had swum over to the side of the pool and was hanging on the edge.

"Come on out of the water, young man," Bill said with a laugh. "I have apparently been mistaken for an owl, for I have official OWL results for the two of you."

"What?!" Ginny squealed. She reached for the envelopes Bill had in his hand, but he was expecting that move. He held them just out of her reach, teasing her as she jumped to try and catch them.

Harry pulled himself out of the pool and dried off. He laughed at Ginny's attempts to get the envelopes. "_Accio_ envelopes!"

The siblings looked over at him in surprise when he summoned the envelopes. Bill recovered first. "You're underage. You shouldn't be performing magic."

Harry shrugged. "What are you going to do? Tell my Dad? He's sitting right there, he doesn't care."

Sirius grinned at Harry's response and asked, "So what did you get?"

After handing Ginny her envelope, Harry opened his. He rapidly scanned the paper and started to breathe a little easier as he did so.

**Ordinary Wizarding Level Results**

_**Pass Grades:**_

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

_**Fail Grades:**_

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

**Harry James Potter has achieved:**

Transfiguration O

Ancient Runes E

Charms O

Herbology E

Potions O

History of Magic A

Defence Against the Dark Arts O

Astronomy A

Care of Magical Creatures E

Muggle Studies O

He felt rather than saw the shadow that fell across him as his dad came up behind him. Sirius read the results over Harry's shoulder.

"Excellent! Great job, Harry! Ten Owls, that's fantastic!"

Harry smiled and hugged his dad before turning to his girlfriend who was hugging her brother. "How'd you do?"

She held out her results and the pair exchanged results. Ginny had done extremely well.

**Ginevra Molly Weasley has achieved:**

Transfiguration O

Ancient Runes O

Charms O

Herbology E

Potions O

History of Magic E

Defence Against the Dark Arts O

Astronomy E

Care of Magical Creatures E

Muggle Studies O

"Wow, Ginny, these are brilliant! All Os and Es. I'm impressed," Harry said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled brightly. "I'm so happy. I got an O in Muggle Studies! My dad will be thrilled."

"He is actually," Bill broke in. "Professor McGonagall gave them a copy of your test results. Mum and Dad are both thrilled with how well you did. I think they were worried you wouldn't be able to take your OWLs at all. Professor McGonagall made a point of telling me that she was proud of the two of you."

Harry blushed slightly, but smiled. "That was nice of her."

Ginny agreed. "It was." She looked over at her brother. "You took Muggle Studies, right? I think we are the only two to have taken it."

"I did," he agreed. "I tried to talk Charlie into taking it, but he went with the ever popular Care of Magical Creatures and Divination combination."

"I'm impressed with how well you did in Ancient Runes," Sirius said. "For someone who's only taken it for a little over six months, to get an E is amazing."

"Harry worked really hard on Runes," Ginny said proudly.

He blushed under the regard from the others, but he was pleased. He'd never been praised for his grades before. Soon the four of them were seated at one of the shaded table on the patio enjoying a light lunch Dobby had put together for them.

Bill described his conversation with Remus as well as the Order meeting to the others. Sirius was unaffected by Remus' anger.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving Harry until after he's of age."

"Are you sure, Dad? I feel badly that she'll be susceptible to Bellatrix until then."

Sirius smiled at his son. "I'm positive. We thought everything was fine in South Africa and you know how that turned out. I will go up on my own terms with no prior notice. I don't want to take the chance that she somehow found out about this house and they are just waiting for me to head to England."

He looked over at Bill. "I will need your help in securing a safe house for a few nights."

"Not a problem," Bill replied. "I have the perfect place in mind."

* * *

Harry woke on the morning of his seventeenth birthday to the wonderful feeling of his girlfriend kissing him awake. His eyes fluttered open and he could see her beautiful face hovering over him. He smiled sleepily and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"Happy Birthday, love!"

Harry pulled her down and kissed her deeply. He tangled one hand in her hair and gently explored her curves. After several long minutes he pulled back with what he was sure was a goofy smile on his face. Ginny propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at him. He traced the lines of her face with one finger.

"You are so beautiful," he breathed.

She laughed. "I thought you couldn't see very well without your glasses."

"I can see you," Harry said with smile.

Leaning down, she kissed him again. "Come on, Dobby prepared a big breakfast for you."

A few moments later, the teens were headed downstairs where Dobby had indeed prepared a feast. There were platters of eggs, sausage, and bacon and a full rack of toast with fresh berry jam.

Sirius looked up and smiled as they joined him at the table. "Happy Birthday, Harry!"

"Thanks, Dad," Harry replied with a smile. He looked over at the little elf who stood by eagerly. "Thanks, Dobby. This looks amazing."

He helped himself to some bacon and eggs before he spied a plate full of fried triangles of dough. "What are these, Dobby?"

"Those are mandazi, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby replied eagerly. "They are a traditional Kenyan breakfast food that Dobby thought it might be fun to try. One of the elves at the inn in town told Dobby about them."

Harry picked up one of the mandazi and bit into it. "This is really good. Is that coconut?"

Dobby beamed happily under Harry's praise. "Yes, Harry Potter."

"Brilliant," Harry said with a smile.

Ginny tried one as well and added her praise. "These are really good, Dobby. Thank you for trying them out."

Sirius slid a box across the table to Harry. "Happy Birthday."

With a shy smile, Harry ripped open the wrapping paper. He opened the black box to find a beautiful watch inside. "Wow, Dad, this is great."

As Harry lifted the watch out of the box, Sirius explained. "It is tradition to give a wizard a watch when they come of age. That is actually a very special watch, it was your father's. His father gave it to him on his 17th birthday and I though he would want you to have it."

"Really?" Harry was astonished. "This was really my father's?"

He examined it with slightly shaky hands. It was an elegant golden watch with a stag under a full moon engraved on the watch face. He looked up at Sirius. "My grandparents knew about you guys?"

Sirius laughed. "We were rather full of ourselves and the summer after we learned to transform we weren't as careful as we should have been. We were young and arrogant. Your grandmother caught us. She lectured us for what seemed like hours before she told us how proud she was of us for helping Remus out."

"She sounds great," Harry said a bit wistfully. He snapped the watch around his wrist and admired it.

Ginny handed him her present. It was a small box and when Harry opened it he found a golden lion earring. She looked at him a bit nervously. "I thought you might want another earring and the lion just seemed appropriate."

Pulling the dragon out of his ear, he put the lion in. Sirius conjured up a mirror and handed it to him. Harry smiled.

"It's great, Gin. I love it." He leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you."

Standing up Sirius said, "You have thirty minutes to pack a bag. We'll be gone for four days and nights. Bring some trousers as well as shorts and make sure you bring your swimming costumes. You might want to dress for dinner one night so bring something nice."

Harry looked up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Sirius just grinned. "This is part of your present. Get going, kiddo."

* * *

Two days later Harry found himself sitting with Ginny and Sirius in a jeep riding around a wildlife park. Currently they were watching a group of rhinoceros grazing in the grass. Ginny was leaning out of the jeep slightly, taking pictures.

"These are white rhinos," Haji, their guide, explained.

"But they're grey," Harry objected.

Haji smiled. "They are, but they are in fact called white rhinos."

He pointed over to two large grey coloured rhinos that were grazing apart from the others. Except for the fact that they had only one horn, they looked identical to the others.

"Do you know what they are?" Haji asked.

Harry looked at them trying to remember what they might be, but unable to come up with an answer. He looked over at Ginny.

She gasped, "Are they erumpents?"

Haji laughed. "Yes, they are."

"Isn't it dangerous to have erumpents mixing with regular rhinos?" Sirius asked curiously.

"It can be," Haji agreed. "Those are both cows and there is less of a chance of them fighting. It is usually the males who use their horns in a fight. They fight over the females and sometimes they fight over territory, every mating season we lose a few more erumpents when they gore each other and cause an explosion. We had a big problem with erumpents being killed for their horns and the fluid inside of them during the last century. Our leaders finally started imposing harsher consequences and thankfully the killing of erumpents is decreasing."

Two hours later, Haji pulled the jeep into a small clearing. A table was set up with a tea service. He smiled at the three guests. "Please, enjoy your tea. I will return in thirty minutes and we will continue our tour."

"Thank you," Sirius said as Harry and Ginny clambered out of the jeep. The teens were both stretching, happy to be moving about after sitting for almost three hours.

"This was such a great idea, Sirius," Ginny said with a smile as she poured tea for each of them.

"Thanks," he replied. "I've always liked animals and I've wanted to go on one of these safaris for a while."

"I didn't realize they had parks with both Magical and Non-Magical animals," Harry said as he helped himself to a warm cranberry scone with lots of fresh cream. "This is amazing."

"This is one of the few in Africa," Sirius said. "That's why I wanted to come here."

"I can't believe they have this beautiful tea service set up for us in the middle of the park. This is really nice china," Ginny said as she eyed the china. "My mum wouldn't let it out of the house."

"I imagine they have elves who set it up and then come and take it away," Sirius said. "Trust me, my mum would have expected service like this. She would be complaining that there weren't any elves here to fan her off with palm fronds or something ridiculous like that."

Ginny shook her head, she really couldn't imagine having so much money that this sort of service was normal. Harry laughed. "My aunt would have expected me to set up the tea service and fan her off. Of course she would never do something like this, she hates dust and dirt – she's not too fond of animals either."

Growling slightly, Sirius said, "I would love to have a few words with your lovely aunt."

"Don't bother," Harry said with a smile. "She never changes."

As the other two talked, Ginny was looking around the clearing; something near one of the trees caught her attention. Standing she wandered over to the tree. On the ground she spotted a strangely familiar-looking greenish skin.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I'm trying to figure out what this is," she replied. "It looks familiar somehow."

Joining her, he knelt down on one knee next to the skin. "I think this is boomslang skin."

"I think you're right," Sirius said as he joined the teens. "There are boomslangs around here."

"Are we allowed to take the skin?" Harry asked curiously. "I know it's used in a lot of potions."

"I'm not sure," Sirius replied as he picked up the skin to get a better look. "I'll ask Haji."

A sound caused Harry to turn and to his horror, a giant boomslang was dropping down from the tree next to Ginny. She was unaware of the danger she was in.

"No!"

Sirius and Ginny both looked up at him in shock. Sirius recovered faster and followed Harry's gaze. He swore quietly under his breath. Quickly he raised a shield between Ginny and the snake.

The snake froze at Harry's voice. "S-speaker."

"Yes," Harry replied shakily in Parseltongue. "I am a speaker. If we are disturbing you, we apologize. My girlfriend saw your skin and was curious, we didn't mean any harm."

"Humans take our skin for evil purposes," the snake replied angrily.

"We aren't doing that," Harry hissed.

He breathed a bit easier as Sirius helped Ginny to her feet and put some space between her and the snake. The snake looked Harry up and down as though judging him. "You are not evil."

Harry nodded a bit uncertainly. "I'm not. I try to do good things and be a good person."

"Is she your mate?"

"Yes," Harry replied promptly. He recalled the serpents at Hogwarts asking the same question. He hadn't been able to answer positively at that point, but now he could.

"She may take the skin," the snake hissed. "Good luck to you and your mate."

Harry watched as the snake slithered away.

"Damn, Harry," Sirius said shakily. "You scared the shite out of me when you started hissing."

Harry blushed and looked down at the ground. He didn't want Sirius to be disgusted by him. "Sorry, I was afraid it was going to bite Ginny."

"Harry, look at me."

It took a moment, but Harry looked up and met Sirius' eyes. "Harry, I've never heard anyone speak in Parseltongue before, that's all."

Harry saw the truth of that in his father's eyes. "It doesn't upset you that I can talk to snakes?"

"No," Sirius replied promptly. "You have an unusual talent." Sirius shrugged. "I can turn into a dog, that's not exactly normal."

Ginny slide her arm around his waist and squeezed. "Thank you, sweetie."

Harry automatically wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulders as he looked from one to the other. As he did so, Harry realized that they really did just accept him. He smiled as relief flooded through him. He'd been afraid for a moment that Sirius might reject him as so many of his classmates had during his second year.

"What did he say?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Oh, you can take the skin," Harry said.

* * *

It was after dinner on their last night at the park. Harry and Ginny sat on the veranda that both of their rooms opened onto. The small thatched roof cottage had two bedrooms as well as a sitting room and bathroom. Both of the bedrooms faced large French doors that opened onto a stone veranda.

Sirius was reading in the sitting room, leaving the teens on the veranda. It was a beautiful night. There wasn't much moonlight as they weren't far past the new moon, but the stars sparkled and lit up the landscape. Harry scooted a little closer to his girlfriend as they lounged on low chairs.

"This has been brilliant," Ginny said as she smiled over at him.

"It has," he replied sounding slightly surprised. Ginny looked over at him. He'd been acting a bit nervous all evening. She didn't know if it was a delayed reaction from the interaction with the snake or if he was just sad they were leaving in the morning.

She rose from her chair and walked to the edge of the veranda. The sounds of animals in the distance were exotic and a bit thrilling. They could hear hooting of monkeys and occasional roars of the lions and panthers. It was so different from her home back in England.

Harry had joined her and was standing just behind her. She glanced behind her and smiled.

"You are so beautiful," he said in a rather husky voice. "Sometimes I manage to almost get used to how beautiful you are and then the light hits you in another way or you smile and I am just amazed that someone like you would even consider looking at someone like me."

Ginny turned to look at him and she could actually see the amazement in his face.

"It's not just that you're beautiful," he continued. "You are incredibly smart, but you never make me feel stupid. You just have this way about you that you make everyone at ease. I have trouble talking sometimes, I can't figure out what to say or do, but you just get me. It's like you know what I mean."

Ginny smiled in bemusement. She wasn't sure what had brought all of this on, but she had to admit it felt good to know he thought so highly of her.

"This past year…it has been incredible. We've had some wonderful times and some horrible times." Ginny shuddered as she remembered Harry's screams as Voldemort and Bellatrix tortured him.

Harry reached out and cupped her cheek. "I can't imagine going on this journey with anyone but you. I don't know how much I really have to offer you. I have money, but I don't know how much time I'll have. Sometimes I feel like I'm looking down a dark path and only Voldemort is at the end, but other times I realize if I can survive…If I survive, we can have an amazing life together."

He took a deep breath. "I love you, Ginny Weasley, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Ginny stared at him with tears in her eyes. She nodded vigorously unable to form the words.

"Yes?" Harry asked searchingly.

She laughed as she found her voice. "Yes! Yes, I will marry you."

Harry laughed and lifted her up in the air, twirling her around. He set her back on her feet and before she could really do anything he leaned down to kiss her. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her close.

After a few moments Harry pulled back and reached one hand into his pocket, pulling something out. He held his hand out towards Ginny and opened it. Lying in the middle of his hand was a beautiful diamond ring. It had a large centre diamond set in platinum with a channel of small emeralds on either side of the diamond.

She gasped. "Harry, it's beautiful."

He smiled and removed her promise ring, sliding it onto her right hand before sliding the engagement ring onto her left hand. The ring glowed for a moment before sizing to fit her.

She held up her hand to admire the ring. "That is so beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," Harry said. "I had a hard time choosing, but this seemed like the one you would like the best."

He led her back to the chairs, this time both of them squeezed into one of the chairs. They spent the rest of the evening cuddling and kissing and laughing; not even thinking about things like prophecies and murderous Dark Lords.

* * *

Sirius looked around the villa Bill had secured for the week. He let out a low whistle as he flicked his wand. "You really have this rigged up, don't you?"

Bill smiled. "It's my sister as well as Harry, so I wanted to make extra sure it would be safe. I had a few guys I know help with the warding. I told them my parents were coming for a few days to get away from everything that's happening in England. This is a very exclusive area of Cairo, a lot of ex pats and a lot of Westerners, but it is a quiet community and as you can see this villa is fairly well secluded. I didn't want to put you up closer to the centre of town or the tourist areas, I thought they'd be spotted more easily there."

"Excellent," Sirius replied. "So you or Fleur will be here at all times, right?"

"Yes," Bill replied. "It will be both of us most of the time, but I'll be gone for a short time to arrange our surprise."

Sirius grinned. "Good, they should really enjoy that." He sighed as he considered the next few days. "I really hate leaving him, even if it is only for a few days, but I realize it is important to help Tonks."

"It will be fine," Bill reassured the older man, not for the first time. "We have emergency Portkeys, they can both Apparate, and we have a backup safe house. You and Harry have the two way mirrors so he can contact you and Dobby will be here to take them away if need be. Ginny's coloured her hair and with Harry's longer hair and coloured contacts he is much harder to spot. We've tried to plan for every contingency."

"I know," Sirius replied. "I just get a little paranoid."

Bill shrugged. "That is completely understandable."

After making one last circuit of the villa, Sirius sighed. "I'm just putting off leaving. Thanks, mate."

"No problem," Bill said as he watched the older wizard leave. Taking one last look around, Bill headed back to Gringotts. The goblins had a separate Floo system that allowed their employees to travel back and forth between the various branches. Not only was it a much smoother system, but it also allowed him to avoid scrutiny from the Ministry.

* * *

Two days later, Sirius was back in England and on his way to his hated family home. He was under Polyjuice Potion, but it would wear off before he reached Grimmauld Place. As he exited from the St Pancras Station, he pulled his jacket a bit tighter around himself. It was much cooler in London than in Kenya, it was cool and drizzly. Looking up into the pale noon sun, Sirius wished more than anything he was back in Africa.

He shouldered his bag and headed off towards Grimmauld Place. It was a brisk twenty minute walk to arrive in Grimmauld Square. Taking a moment, Sirius looked around the run down square. There was no one in the square and the grass in the square was brittle and dry, adding to the unkempt atmosphere of the place.

Shivering slightly, Sirius headed up the stairs to Number 12 Grimmauld Place and opened the door. There was no one in the hall, so Sirius headed down to the kitchen. The kitchen was bustling and full of people. Molly Weasley was presiding over the stove while Hestia, Remus, and Tonks sat at the table.

Steeling himself against the reception he was expecting, he rapped on the doorframe. For a moment, no one moved. It was Remus who reacted first.

"Sirius?" he asked with his wand in his hand.

Sirius held his hands open. "It's me, Moony." He quickly transformed into Padfoot and transformed back. Remus lowered his wand.

"Thank you for coming," Tonks said softly. She looked over at her cousin, but couldn't really gauge his mood. "I am truly sorry, Sirius. I never meant to hurt Harry."

Coming into the room, Sirius stopped by the table next to his cousin. "I know, Tonks. I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that."

"It took you long enough," Remus said a bit harshly.

Sirius shrugged before turning to Molly Weasley. "Molly, I am sorry with how things have turned out. I promise, I am taking good care of Ginny. She is doing very well."

He handed the older witch an envelope. "This is from Ginny."

She took it without a word. Turning her back to the others, she ripped open the note. A few moments later, she turned back around, dabbing her eyes with her apron. "Thank you, Sirius. I need to head home and share this with Arthur."

"Of course," Sirius said.

When the older women left, he turned back to the other three. "So what do we need to do to perform this ceremony?"

"Just like that?" Remus asked a bit angrily. "Did it ever occur to you to let us know when you were coming so we might have things prepared?"

"I certainly wasn't going to announce that my son is alone," Sirius replied mildly. "Moony, I know you are angry, but I have to look out for Harry."

"Your son," Remus replied scornfully. "He's not yours. What are you playing at?"

"He asked if I would be his father," Sirius said evenly. "I was thinking of him. I can't believe that James would mind. He loves James and Lily, but he never knew them. He knows me and loves me."

"I think that's wonderful," Tonks said, glaring at her boyfriend. "He seems very happy with you."

"I like to think so," Sirius said.

Hestia rose from the table. "I will contact Filius and Albus."

"I'll get my Mum," Tonks said.

The two women left the men alone in the kitchen. Sirius sat and poured a cup of tea from the pot on the table. He watched Remus as he prepared his tea and helped himself to a crumpet and jam.

"I'm sorry I had to leave Tonks for so long," Sirius said honestly. "I will admit that I was angry, but I really wanted to ensure Harry was safe."

"Do you realize what that woman could have had Tonks do?" Remus asked angrily. "She could have had her kill herself or any of us, she could have had her spy on the Order, she could have forced Tonks to do any number of awful things."

"And yet here she sat in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Sirius observed. "Harry wasn't afforded that same luxury. When it was feared he was a risk, he was cut off from all of his family and friends and he had to rely on the kindness of strangers. Tonks is not only an adult, she is an Auror, and she has a family to support her. If Dumbledore truly thought she was a risk she would have been relegated to her flat or Andromeda's place, not sitting here. I know that Bellatrix is an evil, psychotic bitch, but the only one she seems intent on hurting is Harry. If Tonks was attacking people left and right, arrangements could have been made to do this earlier, but all I heard was a lot of 'poor Tonks' whinging."

Remus leapt up from his seat, anger visible on his face. "How dare you?!"

"No, Moony, don't even start. When Harry was cut off from everyone last year he was left to flounder and luckily he found someone to help him. He was captured and tortured by Lucius and Bellatrix and then after all of that he was betrayed by a woman he trusted who delivered him to Voldemort," Sirius glared at his old friend. "Did you see that monster on the beach? Did you see him torturing my son? And what happened to Tonks? After she had tortured him, Harry stunned her so she couldn't be used anymore. He showed her a hell of a lot more compassion than he received from a lot of people."

Remus seemed to crumple in on himself a bit and he sank back down at the table across from Sirius. "I'm sorry, Padfoot. I've just been so worried about her." He looked over at his old friend. "I guess that is what you've been going through as well."

"I know you care for her," Sirius said gently. "It is understandable that you would focus on her. Under ordinary circumstances I would have broken this spell long ago, but I had to put Harry first. Sixteen years ago, I put my need for revenge before him and he suffered greatly for it. I made a vow standing just outside that kitchen door a little more than a year ago that I would never again put others before him. He deserves that much."

After watching his friend for a while, Remus asked, "Is that what caused such a huge turn around in your behaviour?"

Nodding, Sirius stared down at his tea. "I heard Harry talking to Ginny about how he was abused as a child. I don't think he was even certain that it was a bad thing, it was just what had happened to him. I realized how selfish I'd been whinging on about my experiences and focusing on what I'd done wrong rather than what I could do to make things right. When I listened to that sweet boy talk about his life and all of the death-defying nonsense he's had to put up with, all of the bad decisions, I knew I had to be the one to put him first. So if I am spoiling him a bit or putting him first it is only because for once he deserves it."

He looked around the room to make certain they were alone. "Do you want to hear some good news?"

"Sure," Remus replied after a moment.

"Harry proposed to Ginny."

"What?!" Remus looked at him in astonishment. He realized that they had become close and he knew they were dating, but engaged?

Sirius nodded with a smile on his face. "We went away for Harry's birthday and he proposed. He was so nervous…it is one of the few times he has really reminded me of James. In his actions, I mean. He looks so much like James, but his actions have always more reminded me of Lily. She is so happy, she is just glowing. Both of them are, really."

"Aren't they a little young?"

Sirius shrugged. "A little, but he's seventeen. James was seventeen when he proposed to Lily. They are truly meant for each other."

Remus wasn't entirely sure that was true, but he didn't want another fight with Sirius. It always made him feel sick to his stomach to argue with one of the other Marauders.

* * *

Ginny danced around the private garden behind the villa. At one end was a water feature with images of Egyptian gods carved into the wall, over which flowed a water fall. It ended in a small reflecting pond.

With a smile, she turned back to her brother. "This is amazing. I can't believe you found such a beautiful house for us."

Bill smiled at his sister, grateful that his actions could make her so happy. "Good, I'm glad you like it. We are staying in a different part of Cairo than we did the last time you were here. This is more of an ex pat community, the down side is that it is a bit further from the pyramids."

"Will we get to see the pyramids?" Ginny asked excitedly. "Harry's never seen them and Mum wouldn't let me see a lot the last time."

"Of course," he laughed. "I wouldn't bring you to Cairo and not take you to the pyramids. I thought we could go in the morning. Fleur has never seen them before either, so it will be fun."

"Yeah!" Ginny threw her arms around her brother. "Thank you."

She turned as Fleur joined them in the garden. Bill had proposed to the beautiful French witch two weeks earlier, but he had waited to tell Ginny until he could tell her in person. Ginny was thrilled – Fleur was really a great match for Bill.

Bill had been a bit astounded to find his baby sister was engaged as well, but he was very happy for them. He'd seen the love between the two and he was thrilled that his sister was so happy.

It was still dark the next morning when Bill shook his sister awake. "Time to get up."

He laughed softly at the disgruntled look on her face. "Harry's already up and getting ready. I have a surprise for the two of you."

Ten minutes later, Ginny was downstairs pulling her hair into a pony tail. Harry came up behind her and dropped a kiss on the back of her neck. "Good morning, love."

She leaned back against him and he automatically wrapped his arms around her. "You are way too chipper for this early in the morning."

He simply laughed and hugged her. Fleur joined them and they headed out to the Land Rover Bill had rented. The four of them were rather quiet as they headed along the dark streets towards the Nile River. Ginny reached out and squeezed Harry's hand as they crossed the Nile.

Egypt always seemed like such a magical place. Bill had been fascinated by Egypt and its culture and his little sister was more than happy to listen to his stories. When she'd visited Egypt before, her memories of Tom had tainted a lot of her visit, but she was determined to enjoy her visit this time. Besides, this time she was with her fiancé, how much better could things get?

Harry smiled at her and she scooted a bit closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched to see what glimpses she could see of the Egyptian landscape. After almost thirty minutes, Bill turned onto a smaller road and started slowing down. He pulled into a large yard and parked the car.

He gestured for the others to join him as they approached the large stone building. Ginny gasped when she saw the sign reading – FB Stables. Bill looked over his shoulder and winked at her. Before she could say anything, a young man emerged from the building.

"Bill!"

"Jabari!" Bill exclaimed as he reached out and shook the young man's hand. "It is good to see you. This is my fiancée, Fleur Delacour."

Jabari smiled and bent over her hand. "It is lovely to finally meet you. Bill is full of talk about you."

Blushing prettily, Fleur thanked him.

"This is my little sister, Ginny and her fiancé, Harry," Bill said. Turning to his sister he said, "I met Jabari when he was freelancing for Gringotts and helping us in the tombs."

"It's nice to meet you," Ginny said with a smile. "Are you from Cairo?"

"For many generations," Jabari replied. "My brother opened this stable several years ago and when I got tired of working for Gringotts, I came to help him."

By this time, they'd reached the inner courtyard of the stable. Waiting for them were four beautiful Arabian horses, all saddled up and ready to go.

Jabari looked over the four of them. "I know Bill can ride, how about the rest of you?"

Fleur and Ginny had both ridden in the past, but Harry was embarrassed to admit he knew nothing about horseback riding.

"No worries," Jabari reassured him. "I have Amisi here. She is quite gentle and used to those who don't ride."

Soon he had the four of them up on horseback riding in a circle around the yard. Harry felt a bit ungainly next to the girls, but he found it wasn't quite as scary as he thought it might be.

Once Jabari was comfortable with how well they were riding, he handed a map and a picnic basket to Bill. "I have marked the way, but you should have no problems finding your way."

"Thank you," Bill replied. He led the way out of the stable yard and into the desert. The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon.

After thirty minutes of riding, Bill pulled up next to a dune. Up ahead of them, framed against the lightening sky were the pyramids.

"Wow," Harry breathed.

Bill grinned over at him. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "I've seen pictures of the pyramids, but they are amazing."

Dismounting, Bill gestured for the others to do the same. He helped Fleur and Ginny down while Harry managed to dismount albeit not gracefully. With a few waves of his wand, Bill had set up a large carpet with candles hovering over it. He set the picnic basket in the centre of the carpet and he and Fleur quickly set out the breakfast.

There was a platter of eggs and bacon, fresh fruit, and a basket of croissants with a selection of jams. Two large thermos held some strong Egyptian coffee and pumpkin juice. Bill nodded approvingly. "Good, he was able to get everything I asked for. I wanted a mix of French and English foods."

Silence reigned for a while as everyone ate and took in the sights. As he pushed his plate away, Harry turned to Bill. "I hate to admit how pitiful my knowledge is, but who built the Great Pyramid?"

"It was built by Pharaoh Khufu in around 2560 BCE," Bill began.

He explained the history of the pharaohs and explained the history of Magical Egypt. Bill was very knowledgeable and an excellent storyteller. The two couples rode up to the pyramids and with Bill's access passes they were able to tour the pyramids. Both couples had a wonderful time enjoying not only their time together, but their time with each other. Bill was in his element teaching the others about the pyramids and about Egypt.

To Harry's surprise, there were several Sphinxes guarding the entrances to the tombs or guarding tunnels Bill said were closed.

"Isn't it dangerous to have Sphinxes as guards?" Harry asked Bill curiously.

Bill shrugged. "It can be. There was a horrid incident in the 1940s when some local punks tried to sneak past one of the Sphinxes to get into the Great Pyramid. It was apparently a blood bath. I've seen the pictures and it was awful. Gringotts shows those pictures to everyone new to Egypt to emphasize the potential danger of the Sphinxes.

"They train us that if we need to pass a Sphinx and we aren't certain of the answer to their riddle, don't guess. It's not a bad thing to back off and have someone else try."

Harry shuddered. "The Sphinx in the Tri-Wizard Tournament seemed so nice. She told me her riddle, but I have to admit when she let me pass I was a bit nervous."

"You 'ad to pass ze Sphinx?" Fleur asked in amazement. "I saw eet was zere, but I was able to go anozzer direction."

"I figured it wouldn't hurt to listen to her riddle and I was able to piece it together," Harry explained.

"That's really good, Harry," Bill said. "Not too many people can answer their riddles."

Harry laughed. "I'm sure Hermione could have answered it very quickly, but I managed."

The couples spent the day sightseeing and enjoying each other's company. In the late afternoon, they rode back to the stable to return the horses. Altogether it was a very enjoyable day.

* * *

Sirius stood to one side of the crowded dining room and pulled at his robes. He was wearing his newest and nicest set of dress robes as well as the signet ring of the House of Black. He hated wearing the ring, it was a big ugly thing made of gold with a black moonstone gem. Etched onto the surface of the gem was the Black family crest and the family motto was engraved around the outside of the gem.

He stared at the ring in distaste. He could remember seeing the ring on his father's hand. His father always wore the ring. Sirius was certain he had worn the imprint of the ring many times after his father backhanded him while wearing the ring.

Remus walked up to him looking extremely nervous. "Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sirius replied.

Filius Flitwick had spent the evening before reviewing the ceremony with him. He'd practiced the spell and the movements until they felt natural. Andromeda had brewed the potion needed to break the spell. While no one was certain, they felt that if the potion brewer was a family member it would help the potency of the spell.

Looking around the gathering, Sirius let out a breath before calling for everyone's attention. "I think it would be best if there were fewer people in the room."

"I agree," Professor Dumbledore said. He looked around the room with his piercing blue eyes. "I believe it would be best if Sirius, Andromeda, Remus, Filius, and I were the only people in the room." Looking at Professor Flitwick, he said, "Would you stand in for her Head of House? I believe that your Charms experience would be helpful to us."

The diminutive professor quickly agreed. "I was her teacher and worked with her in the charms club as well so I believe it will not be a problem as long as Miss Tonks views me as a teacher and mentor."

"Of course, Professor," Tonks agreed.

Professor Dumbledore looked over at Sirius. "Is that acceptable to you?"

Sirius nodded and the others filed out. He noticed that all of them stopped to reassure Tonks on their way out.

Once the other left, Sirius drew his wand and traced a five pointed star around the table. He conjured up candles, one for each point of the star – a white candle for the purity of a mother's love, a red one for romantic love, a yellow and black candle represented her house at Hogwarts, a blue candle represented loyalty and intelligence, and lastly a black and white candle represented the love of family and Sirius' authority over the Black family. He picked up the Black ceremonial knife and drew the knife across his palm. Fisting his hand, he sealed the star in blood.

When he completed the star, Tonks took the same knife and drew it across her palm. She joined hands with her cousin allowing their blood to mingle freely. Looking up at her cousin she said, "_Familia mea fateor te caput_."

"_Ego accipiam de domos patris mei_," he replied. He tried to smile reassuringly at her, but he wasn't certain he managed. He bound her to the table with a black silken rope and circled her with a line of his blood before healing his hand.

Andromeda and Remus stood in the points closest to her while Dumbledore and Flitwick stood in the bottom two points. After everyone else was in place, Sirius took his place in the top point of the star.

The energy level in the room spiked as Sirius took his place. Andromeda lit her white candle. "With the love of your mother, I call to you."

Tonks moaned slightly and moved a bit on the table. Remus was next. He lit the red candle next to him. "As your friend and lover, I call to you."

Filius lit the yellow and black candle at his feet. "As your teacher and mentor, I call to you."

Albus lit his blue candle. "As your leader and mentor, I call to you."

Tonks was moving more rapidly on the table. Sirius bound her to the table, he'd hoped not to have to do that, but he felt it was safer. His candle was a black and white candle. He lit it. "As the head of your family, I call to you."

With a scream, Tonks arched her back. Sirius lifted his wand and cast the spell he'd been rehearsing. "_Ego, frangus tua falsa familia vincula_."

As he did so, a golden light encompassed his cousin lighting her up. Sirius could feel the spell he was fighting. It was like an evil cloud spread over her mind. He gripped his wand a bit tighter and repeated the spell. Professor Flitwick had told him it might need to be repeated several times.

He repeated the spell and pushed as much of his magic as he could into the spell. He thought of his family. The love he'd shared with Regulus when they were younger. The love and acceptance he'd found with James and his parents. His love for Andromeda and Tonks and finally his love for Harry. A blinding white light filled the room and Sirius heard a crash from the direction of the table.

As the light cleared, Sirius could see that the table had indeed collapsed. Remus made to move, but Professor Dumbledore's words stopped him.

"Wait, we need to make certain it worked."

Remus growled at the Headmaster, but stayed in his spot. Professor Flitwick had his wand out and was testing her. After a tense moment, he nodded. "The curse is gone."

He frowned. "Something is wrong."

"You said the curse was gone," Andromeda said.

"It is," Filius reassured her. "I am detecting some type of cursed item. Perhaps Bellatrix placed some type of cursed item on her."

"What?" Remus was almost beside himself. He could tell that Tonks was not conscious, but he was still quite uneasy. "Can you tell what it is? It might be set to harm her now that the spell is broken."

By now Professor Dumbledore also had his wand out and was scanning the unconscious Auror. He exchanged a look with Professor Flitwick. "Perhaps some type of jewellery?"

"She has a new necklace she's been wearing," Andromeda said. "I thought perhaps Remus had given it to her."

"No," Remus said. "I asked her about it and she said it was an old necklace she'd found again recently."

"I have never seen it before this summer," Andromeda said with certainty.

Sirius approached his cousin cautiously. She was lying on her side facing away from him. He gently turned her over and he could see the necklace around her neck. It was a Victorian style, gold and pearl necklace with a large pearl in the centre.

He was hesitant to the touch the necklace, but he was unable to remove it magically. He could hear the two professors setting up shields as he reached for the necklace.

He grabbed the large pearl, planning to pull it off of her, but as he did so he felt a stinging sensation in the palm of his hand. Gritting his teeth, he pulled and was able to remove it. He flung it across the room and as he did so a sickening familiar green light shot towards him. With a speed he didn't realize he had, he dove out of the way of the light and it hit the wall behind him.

"_Confringo!"_ Professor Dumbledore's voice rang out as he blasted the necklace into pieces.

Remus hurried over to his girlfriend who was starting to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open and Remus was gratified to see her smile. Somehow she was more animated than she had been the past few months. Andromeda joined him in a heartbeat and had her wand out assessing her daughter.

"How do you feel, love?" Andromeda asked gently.

"A bit sore," Tonks said after a moment. Grasping Remus' arm she pulled herself up into a sitting position. She looked around the circle. "Did it work?"

"It did," Professor Dumbledore reassured her.

"Andromeda," Sirius said quietly.

She turned to look at him and gasped when she saw his hand. It was a very angry red and swollen with red streaks starting to run up his arm. His breathing was starting to become laboured. "Merlin, Sirius!"

After helping him into a chair, she started casting diagnostic spells on him. "Damn, Bellatrix always thinks she has to have the last say."

The happy mood of just a few moments before disappeared. Remus gently helped Tonks into another chair and he knelt at her side watching Andromeda work on his oldest friend.

Without even looking around, Andromeda summoned her bag and pulled out several vials of potion. She handed them to Sirius who quickly took them. After several tense minutes, Sirius was starting to breathe easier. Andromeda smiled. "One thing about Bellatrix is she is very consistent. She usually favours the same types of poisons."

Sirius went to stand up, but he found himself swaying on his feet. Andromeda swatted him on the arm. "I may have reversed the poison, but you will be in bed for the next few days."

"No," Sirius protested. "I need to get back to Harry."

"Harry is safe where he is," Remus reassured him. "You need to recover from this first."

Reluctantly Sirius allowed himself to be helped upstairs and into his bed. Remus paused in the doorway. "Thank you, Sirius."

Sirius smiled tiredly. "You're welcome. I'm just glad that nothing was worse."

Closing his eyes, he was just happy he'd been able to help his cousin. Emmeline Vance and Minerva McGonagall settled in to watch over him as he slept.

* * *

_Familia mea fateor te caput_ – I acknowledge you as the head of my family

_Ego accipiam de domos patris mei_ – I accept you as part of my family

_Ego, frangus tua falsa familia vincula_ – I break your false family bonds


	13. Chapter 13 The Cobra Chamber

**A/N: Thanks again to my wonderful betas, StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent. Gorntip's name comes from my favourite tv show when I was little - just a little nod to that show :)  
**

* * *

_**August 7 - 19, 1997**_

"You're sure you're okay?"

Sirius smiled at the concern in his son's voice. "I'm fine. Andromeda wants me to stay until at least tomorrow. I've been up and around. I'm feeling fine. So what are you doing today?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said into his mirror. "Bill said something about a surprise. I don't know."

"Excellent," Sirius replied. "I'm going into Gringotts today to take care of some head of house stuff. Since I officially proclaimed myself as head of the house of Black, I have some papers to sign. I have to look over all of the investments my father made and I imagine I'll be changing a lot of his choices."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, be sure you change all of his Muggle hating choices. Oh, I know, just buy some Muggle companies, I'm sure your dad would love that."

"I will be sure to do that," Sirius promised. "You have fun and tell me all about Bill's surprise."

"Do you know what it is?"

Sirius laughed. "I do and trust me, you'll love it. Have fun."

"Thanks, Dad." Harry paused for a minute before he added, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Sirius responded promptly. "Be good, I'll talk to you later."

With a smile, Sirius put his mirror away. He was glad that Bill and Fleur were taking such good care of his boy for him, but he would be glad when he could get back to him. Heading downstairs, he found Remus sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning," Sirius said.

"Good morning," Remus replied. "Emmeline was here earlier and left some sausage and eggs on the stove."

"Excellent," Sirius said as he headed to the stove. After loading up a plate, he joined his old friend at the table. "Do you want to join me at Gringotts this morning? Help me go through all sorts of boring papers?"

Remus looked over the edge of his coffee cup, considering his old friend. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind me going? It might be nice to go out, but I thought goblins didn't like others at business meetings."

Sirius shrugged, "I am head of a wealthy house and guardian of a head of an even wealthier house so they don't turn down my requests."

"It must be nice," Remus said with a reluctant smile.

"I didn't get anything out of it for many years so, yes I have to say I am enjoying this."

The two old friends flooed to Diagon Alley and together walked down the main street in wizarding London. Sirius made a face as he looked around the alley. Many of the stores he remembered from his youth had closed, even Florean Fortescue had boarded up his shop and disappeared in the middle of the night. Several of the stores were boarded up or just looked abandoned. There was a rather disreputable looking wizard selling 'protective devices' from a push cart that had seen better days.

Gringotts glistened bright white from its place in the middle of the alley. The two men headed up the steps and waited in the queue to get scanned before entering the bank. Sirius confidently led the way across the lobby to a small desk that read 'Customer Assistance.'

A goblin was soon leading them down the hall and through a labyrinth of corridors to a large, rather opulent conference room. The two friends sat in the leather chairs around a round mahogany table. After a few moments, the two were joined by a rather ancient looking goblin. Sirius automatically stood when the goblin entered and gestured for Remus to do the same.

"Respected Gorntip," Sirius said as he bowed slightly with his hands held together in front of him. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. This is my friend, Remus Lupin, he has been a good friend of mine for many years. I have asked him to join us for our meeting."

The elderly goblin looked over the two men before he nodded. "Lord Black, I am honoured to welcome you to your position as the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black." He smiled a toothy smile and squinted at the taller wizard. "I am certain you never expected to be in this position."

"No," Sirius laughed. He followed the goblin's lead and sat after the elder sat down. "I am quite certain my father is rolling over in his grave."

Gorntip said, "I heard a rumour that your parents even tried to have another child to inherit the title, but obviously that was not to be."

"Thank, Merlin," Sirius said. "It was bad enough they inflicted their parenting on me and Regulus, I'd hate to think what they would do to another defenceless child."

He caught Remus' eye and saw the shock reflected in them. "Gorntip has managed my family's finances for over a century. I used to sit on the floor of his office while he and my father had their business meetings."

"Oh," Remus really wasn't sure what to say. He'd never seen Sirius so relaxed around another species. Now that he thought about it he realized that Sirius' interactions with Kreacher had rather coloured his view of Sirius. Any son of an ancient and noble house who would become an Animagus to befriend a werewolf, wouldn't have the normal prejudices associated with his status.

Gorntip pulled out a stack of files and reviewed the investments made by Orion Black. Some of the investments such as those in the _Daily Prophet_, Flourish and Blotts, and Obscurus Books Sirius decided to keep. Investments in the Dark Arts establishments that flourished around Knockturn Alley Sirius stopped immediately.

Reviewing the options, Sirius bought stocks in the Nimbus Racing Broom Company and the Firebolt International Company. The stocks were such a good deal, he authorized more be bought with the Potter family money, he thought Harry would like that. He took great delight in donating a large portion of his mother's original dowry to Damocles Belby's research company that produced Wolfsbane. Recalling Harry's request, Sirius inquired about Muggle companies and found it easy to buy stocks in something called 'tech' companies as well as several pharmaceutical companies. Sirius wasn't exactly sure what all of that meant, but Gorntip seemed to think they were a good idea so he bought the shares.

They reviewed the properties Orion was renting out in the wizarding world. Sirius adjusted the rent in several properties. He noticed his father tended to charge more for Muggleborns and witches in general and gave huge breaks to his fellow bigoted purebloods. Sirius changed all of that, increasing the rents on Knockturn Alley and changing his father's ridiculous rules for charging rent.

As they finished up with the decisions, Gorntip said, "What about Mrs Lestrange's vault?"

Sirius froze. "Bellatrix's account?"

"As head of the house you have access to her vault, she never changed to Mr Lestrange's vaults. Her sister changed her vaults to Mr Malfoy's control, but Mrs Lestrange never gave Mr Lestrange control of her accounts so it remains in your control," Gorntip explained.

Sirius laughed. "Excellent, let's go see what my dear cousin is hiding in her vault."

The ride down to the vault was one of the longest Remus could remember. He hated the swooping feeling of diving down the rails, but Sirius loved it. As he watched Sirius lean over the edge of the cart, he could see flashes of the carefree boy he'd known at Hogwarts. When they stopped, Remus was shocked to see a dragon guarding the vaults. Sirius seemed to take it as a matter of course and waited until the goblins used their clackers to chase the dragon away from the vault.

"Don't touch anything," Sirius cautioned as they entered the vault. "I imagine she has all sorts of protections on her belongings."

Remus nodded. He was shocked at the overflowing trunks of jewels thrown carelessly against the walls. There were stacks of galleons and along one wall were shelves containing objects d'art. He was looking over them when he heard Sirius gasp.

"Is that the cup we've been looking for?" Sirius asked as he grasped Remus's arm.

Remus looked up along the shelves and half way up he saw the small golden cup. He watched as Sirius levitated the cup off the shelf. He conjured up a bag to put the cup in to transport it to Hogwarts. Sirius conjured up a copy of the cup and replaced it on the shelf.

"This is an excellent surprise," Sirius said. "I don't know how long the copy will fool them, but at least it won't alert them immediately."

He scanned the vault and decided to take a small trunk of jewels. He thought maybe Ginny would appreciate some of the jewels.

"I thought we shouldn't touch anything," Remus said.

"You shouldn't touch anything," Sirius said. "She can ward her belongings against others, but not against me. As long as she kept it in her Black vault I can take it. I'd love to empty the whole vault, but that would tip Voldemort off to what we are doing. Once that happens trust me I will be thrilled to drain her vault and donate it all to charity."

"So why take that trunk?"

"It belonged to my grandmother Melania. My aunt Lucretia died without any children and as my mother only had boys, Bellatrix somehow figured it should go to her and I completely disagree. My granny didn't hold with the pureblood nonsense that the rest of the family does," Sirius explained. "I think Ginny would like some of the jewels."

The two old friends left the vault and started the ride back to the surface. Remus was surprised when Sirius said, "Why do I get the feeling you don't approve of Harry and Ginny?"

Remus was startled as he thought he'd hidden his feelings better. "It's not that I don't approve, exactly. It just seems like they are so young and they've had to rely on each other for so long now, so of course they've gotten closer. How do they know it is love?"

Sirius laughed. "They may be young, but they are definitely in love. They are so good together and they rely on each other and work together so well. I think you haven't spent much time around them and probably still see them how they were when they left. They have grown and grown together. I don't know if I can explain it, but they are very good together."

"Do you think her parents will be happy?"

Sirius shrugged. "Initially, probably not, but I think they will come around. The two of them are so happy together. They support each other and really bring out the best in each other. She just makes him so happy. I think if he had grown up in a loving family or if he was sure he would make it to his next birthday they would wait, but the bottom line is they don't want to wait."

Remus nodded, he hadn't really considered that. His first reaction was always to push people away, but he remembered how James and Lily had strengthened each other and brought out the best in the other. Is that what Sirius saw in Harry and Ginny?

"I didn't get to know Ginny as well during my year teaching," Remus said. "She was understandably quiet, but she was a good student. At Grimmauld Place, I tended to gravitate towards Hermione. I love the way her mind works and her hunger for knowledge reminds me a lot of myself. I guess I tended to overlook Ginny. I knew she'd had a huge crush on Harry, but that was really about all. I think maybe that caused me to dismiss her a bit."

"She is very strong," Sirius said. "She would have to be to fight off Voldemort for a whole year. She is also funny and tends towards pranks, in that way she's a bit like the twins. That is good for Harry, because he hasn't had enough laughter in his life. She loves to fly and they are both athletic and they like to learn, maybe not on Hermione's level, but they try. Did I tell you he got an E on his Ancient Runes OWL? After just over six months, he learned enough to get an E."

"That's great," Remus said. "Well, I wish them well. I hope it all works out for them."

The two men left Diagon Alley and headed off to Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry smiled as he guided the sail boat down the Nile. The water was wonderful, it was different than Bassenthwaite Lake, but Harry was thrilled just to be back on the water. Bill had originally arranged for them to take a day trip down the Nile with a guide sailing them down the river, but when the guide saw how well Harry could sail he sat back and let Harry take over.

The water of the Nile was lined with tall grasses and towering palm trees. What surprised Harry the most was some of the cities that were, in certain areas, built up to the edge of the river. Looking down the river, at times one could see the Nile of the past while looking along the river bank; at times you could see the mighty pyramids, the modern cities, or ruins from a time long forgotten. The river was alive with traffic. Harry waved and nodded to the others piloting their boats along the river and they nodded and waved to him in turn.

The sound of laughter caught his attention and he smiled at the sight of his fiancée laughing with her brother, Charlie. That was the second part of Bill's surprise, a visit from Charlie. Ginny was thrilled to see more of her family. To Harry's relief, Charlie took the news of Harry and Ginny's engagement well. Charlie was thrilled for his sister and seemed to enjoy teasing his older brother about his engagement.

Harry covetously watched as Bill and Charlie teased and harassed each other. He could detect the love and friendship between the two brothers in a way he hadn't noticed in the other Weasley siblings. The twins were obviously very close, but they thought so much alike they didn't have the same teasing aspect that Bill and Charlie had. Harry didn't think Percy was close to any of his siblings, according to Ginny he'd always been a bit of an odd duck among the loud, close-knit Weasleys. Ron loved his older brothers, but he also had an aspect of trying to prove himself to them. Bill and Charlie seemed as though they were best friends as well as brothers and Harry found himself a bit envious of them.

Following the guide's directions, Harry skillfully directed the boat to the edge of the water. After tying up the craft, the party alighted and headed for the pyramids of Dahshur. Bill was in his element guiding his family around the necropolis that contained several Muggle and wizarding pyramids.

The Red Pyramid was closed to the public, but Bill was able to show them around the pyramid. Harry was fascinated to find runes mixed in with the hieroglyphics. He stood gazing at the intricately carved walls; it was amazing how easy some of them were to still read.

A smaller hand slid into his and he smiled down at his fiancée. "Are you having fun, love?"

She nodded with a happy smile on her face. "I can't believe Charlie came all this way to see us. I haven't really spent much time with him since the World Cup. I wish he didn't live so far away."

"So you like Bill's surprise?"

She laughed, "Definitely."

Hand-in-hand the couple continued down the cool stone corridor to join the rest of their group. They were standing at an intersection of several tunnels.

"So this tunnel leads to the potions lab," Bill was explaining. "Every pyramid we've found has one. The Muggles found very effective ways to preserve the bodies of their dead, but the wizards used potions and charms to cause the same effects."

"'ow are zez labs 'idden from ze Muggles?" Fleur asked.

"The charms are actually not ours," Bill said with a smile for his fiancée. "The charms were cast by the ancient Egyptians and are still in effect today. The magic they practiced is amazing."

"What about this corridor?" Harry asked as he peered down a short corridor. There were stone doors closing off the corridor and the walls on either side were covered with elaborate pictograms that seemed to be a mixture of runes and hieroglyphics.

Bill chuckled. "That is one of the mysteries of the Red Pyramid. It is a wizarding chamber, you can feel the magic coming off of the corridor, but no one has been able to open it. It doesn't respond to any spells that we know. Every generation or so, great wizards will come and try to open it. Even Dumbledore gave it a go about fifty years ago, but the doors stayed shut."

Gesturing to the walls, Bill continued, "The walls don't even make sense. Specifically, the arrangements of runes and hieroglyphics don't make sense. It might be some unknown dialect or a completely new language. Our Egyptian colleagues have tried for thousands of years to open this chamber; it is rumoured to contain untold riches, but no one has been able to open it."

"I remember you telling me about this," Charlie remarked as he looked over the richly coloured walls. "This is amazing, how vibrant the colours are. It looks like it was just painted."

"The Ancient Egyptians knew their preservation spells," Bill agreed with a laugh. "I thought you would enjoy seeing this, it's kind of a famous mystery. Originally, it was thought perhaps these were false doors, but with various sensing spells we can tell there is a chamber behind it."

Harry looked at the walls, he agreed with Charlie, the walls were beautiful. At the top of the closest wall, Harry spotted an exquisitely detailed carving of a cobra. They had seen several examples of carved cobras at Saqqara, another pyramid complex only ten kilometres to the north of Dahshur, but thankfully they had not seen any actual cobras.

"Who is Wadjet?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Wadjet?" Bill looked at him a bit strangely, but answered. "She is a goddess of Ancient Egypt. She was a patron and protector of all of Egypt. Why do you ask?"

It was Harry's turn to look confused. "Isn't that what this says?" He pointed to a line of hieroglyphics that looked like a cobra in striking position.

Bill nodded slowly. "The cobra is the symbol for Wadjet, how did you know that?"

Turning to the wall, Harry looked at the symbols once again, they seemed to shimmer against the wall and he began to read, "Hail Wadjet, protector of us all. It is thanks to your…I don't know the next word."

Harry turned to look at Bill who was staring at him in fascination. Looking around Fleur and Charlie had looks of awe and shock on their faces, he turned to Ginny. She smiled gently, "Sweetie, you were reading in Parseltongue."

"Merlin," Bill breathed as he gazed at the walls in wonder. "That would explain why we've never been able to translate them before." He turned to Harry. "How can you read it?"

Harry shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on him. "I don't know exactly. I looked at the walls and suddenly it made sense. It's like when I speak Parseltongue, I don't know I'm speaking it. I hear English, but everyone else hears hissing. Is that what you heard?"

Everyone nodded and Harry waited tensely for the reactions. Bill seemed thrilled. "Harry, this is amazing. It makes sense that at least someone in antiquity had to be a Parselmouth. Maybe the ability was more common then and that is why they had a written language. Have you ever seen Parseltongue written down before?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

Bill seemed to realize that Harry was a bit upset. "I'm sorry, Harry. This is just amazing and it makes sense now why so many people haven't been able to open it before. That is a rather handy ability."

Harry relaxed slightly as Ginny squeezed his hand. Charlie spoke up, "Can you say something else in Parseltongue?"

Looking up at the snake for inspiration, Harry said in Parseltongue, "What do you want me to say?"

"Damn, that is brilliant," Charlie enthused. "It sounds almost like the sounds the dragons make. I wonder if you could talk to the dragons."

"Dragons?"

Charlie nodded. "Dragons are thought to be the largest form of reptile. Maybe the languages have something in common. Wouldn't that be brilliant if you could speak to them?"

Harry laughed with relief, he had never thought people would be so accepting of his strange ability. "I can honestly say I've never tried talking to dragons. Damn, if I could, think of how much trouble it would have saved me during the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you 'ad so much trouble with et without using Parseltongue."

"Can we get back to the hieroglyphics?" Bill asked loudly.

The others laughed at his single mindedness, but Harry walked over next to him and the two of them started translating the wall. The other three stood off to the side where they wouldn't be in the way.

Ginny looked at her companions. "Thank you for being so accepting of him. He's gotten some not so positive reactions to his abilities in the past. He spoke Parseltongue in front of the whole school during a duelling club in his second year and he was practically ostracized by the whole school. A few weeks ago when we were on safari, he spoke to a boomslang and he was so afraid of Sirius' reaction."

"Kids can be so cruel," Fleur said softly as she watched the two working on the translation. "I used to get teased or when I was older zey would start all sorts of rumours about me. I can only imagine what zey did to poor 'Arry. I know zey weren't nice to him during ze tournament."

"No," Ginny agreed sadly. "Hogwarts…it's always been that way for him. The students either love him or hate him and there's not a lot of in between."

"I can't imagine he could do anything that would affect Sirius' opinion of him," Charlie put in.

Ginny smiled. "No, Sirius loves him, but unfortunately Harry isn't used to such…acceptance. His aunt and uncle were horrible to him. He's better now, but he still gets surprised when Sirius does things for him. He's just not used to it."

"But you are changing zat," Fleur said with a smile. "He 'as really blossomed under your love."

Ginny blushed, but was pleased. "Thank you, I like to think so."

"We've sent for an Egyptologist and another Gringotts team," Bill called out. "Don't be surprised when they arrive."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the corridor filled with wizards and goblins. Fleur, Ginny and Charlie moved a little further down the corridor as Bill introduced Harry to the team. The Egyptologist was a friend of Bill's from his days in Egypt and the Gringotts team was a mixed team composed of a goblin, two Egyptians, and two Brits. Two of them were Curse Breakers like Bill, one of the Egyptians was a specialist in ancient Egyptian tombs, and one was a Treasure Specialist.

Fleur explained in a low tone how a treasure specialist was a valued part of each team. They were there to evaluate the treasure once the curse breakers had freed it from whatever curses had been placed upon it. The goblin was both supervisor and security.

The team was very excited to learn that Harry was able to read the wall. Ginny was fascinated to watch her brother in action. He'd told her so many stories about entering tombs and she was excited that they might get to witness it themselves. She was so proud of Harry. She knew how hard it was for him to share his Parseltongue abilities and for him to agree to help a team translate the inscriptions was a huge step for him. He looked so confident standing among the other team members.

After spending some time translating the wall and answering questions, Harry turned to look at Ginny. He beckoned her over.

As she neared, she was happy to see how excited he was. His eyes were dancing and full of energy. "We are going to try to open the tomb. Bill is going to cast a shield so nothing should hurt you, but I wanted to let you know what is going on."

"Okay," Ginny replied with a smile. "You look like you are having fun."

Harry nodded excitedly. "It's pretty amazing."

To her surprise, Harry leaned down and kissed her. He usually wasn't so demonstrative in front of her brothers. "I love you."

"Love you too," she replied as she re-joined Fleur and Charlie. Her future sister-in-law smiled at her. "'Arry looks good."

Ginny laughed. "He does. He looks…I don't know, older maybe."

Surprisingly it was Charlie who responded. "He does look older. The last time I saw him, he was a boy; he's a young man now. He's much more…confident." He shot a look at his sister. "I think some of that is thanks to you, Ginny. You can tell he wants to make sure he is what you need him to be. He loves you."

Ginny beamed happily. "I know."

Bill cast his shield pulling everyone's attention to him. The corridor was suddenly very quiet. Harry read the incantation from the wall and it allowed him to approach the large double stone doors. The doors were suddenly more clearly seen. They were inlaid with ornately carved panels containing scenes of snakes and river scenes. The panels were framed in copper and silver. The river was actually made from deep blue lapis lazuli with malachite river grasses. The snakes were multi-coloured and fashioned from garnet, turquoise, and appropriately enough serpentine. The affect was startling and beautiful.

Clearing his throat nervously, Harry read the final incantation to open the door and with a grinding sound, the doors opened. Harry stepped back as stale air wafted out of the Chamber.

Bill and the team stepped forward and started casting spells. Harry started to step back and join Ginny and the others, but Bill stopped him. To his amazement, Bill let him stay and help them dismantle the charms.

Early evening found the group back at the villa. They were all a little dirty and dusty, but amazed at the adventure they had found themselves in that day. Bill had talked Charlie into staying over the weekend to celebrate Ginny's sixteenth birthday on Monday. Bill was on a high after finally getting into the newly dubbed cobra chamber. He was hoping Gringotts would allow him to stay for the next month or so and oversee the excavation of the chamber. From the glimpses they'd had of the treasures, Bill didn't think it was going to be a problem.

* * *

Sirius was seething as they left Dumbledore's office. The Horcrux had been destroyed, but Dumbledore was still trying to discover Harry's whereabouts.

"What the hell is he thinking?" Sirius ranted. "It's like he's decided it's okay to keep Harry in the background and pull him out at the last minute to destroy Voldemort. His whole attitude is so infuriating. He sees Harry as a weapon and nothing more. He doesn't care about him."

"That's why Harry is so lucky to have you," Remus said.

Sirius smiled slightly. "You always were good at pulling me out of my moods."

"It's a gift," Remus teased him. He paused as Sirius turned at the landing of the third floor and started walking towards the hospital wing. "Where are we going?"

"I wanted to stop and see Poppy," Sirius said simply. "She was very helpful and I wanted to let her know he's okay."

"So what is Harry's big surprise?" Remus asked. He could see his old friend was still fuming about Dumbledore's attitude towards Harry.

"Bill is arranging for them to go sailing, which Harry will love. He really enjoys sailing, he's talked about it quite a bit," Sirius said with a smile. "Charlie Weasley will also be joining them for the day."

"Ginny will like that," Remus said. "I thought maybe it would be Molly and Arthur."

Sirius shook his head. "Not with me not there. We are going to have them out for the day once I get back."

They had reached the doors of the hospital wing. Sirius pushed them open and spied the matron in her office.

"Poppy!"

She turned around and smiled. "Sirius Black!"

Hurrying forward, she hugged him. "How are you? I've been so worried about you and your ward."

"I'm good," Sirius said as the two men joined her in sitting around her desk. "I take it you've heard about my lovely cousin trying to do me in."

Poppy nodded. "I have indeed. I trust you are listening to Andromeda."

"Of course," Sirius said. He smiled as Poppy waved her wand over him. She seemed pleased with what she found.

"How is Harry?" she asked. "I heard about the attack at the end of May. The poor boy has been through quite enough."

Sirius nodded. "I agree completely . He's doing well. He had a rough week and he's had a few nightmares, but he's recovering." He leaned closer to the matron. "Do you want to know a secret?"

Poppy couldn't help but smile at Sirius' eyes shining with a mixture of mischief and happiness. "What?"

"Harry and Ginny are engaged!"

"What?" Poppy smiled. "That is wonderful. I could tell during the short time I saw them how devoted they are to each other. Please tell them I am so happy for the two of them." A thought seemed to cross her mind. "Has she seen a healer?"

"Ginny?" Sirius looked a bit confused. "No, she's been fine."

Poppy shook her head and muttered a bit under her breath something about men. Looking back up at Sirius she seemed to come to a decision. "Normally I wouldn't say anything to someone unrelated to her, but if they are engaged I imagine they might be getting closer physically if they haven't already."

Sirius looked lost for a moment until he suddenly realized what she was talking about. "Oh, I don't think they have…consummated their relationship, but I'm not sure."

Poppy nodded and stood to rummage through one of the cabinets in her office. After a moment she returned with a vial of potion and a small book. "This is a contraceptive potion and a book that both of them should read. The potion is good for a year."

Blushing slightly, Sirius took the proffered items. "Thank you, I never would have thought of that. Should she see a healer?"

"Normally I would say absolutely she should," Poppy admitted as she though it over. The matron sighed. "It's not necessary, but if you find it possible I would have her see a healer."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you Poppy."

"Do you need any more potions?" Poppy asked. "Severus is brewing potions for the new school year so I can add more to the list without any questions."

"Some more mild pain potion and some Dreamless Sleep potion," Sirius replied promptly. "Harry still gets a lot of headaches and with the nightmares I want him to have the option to take the Dreamless Sleep."

"Certainly." Poppy bustled around gathering the required potions. Sirius soon had a collapsible rack of potions to take home with him.

"Thank you," Sirius said. He hugged the matron and after Remus said his goodbyes the two men headed back to London.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat back in his chair as he listened to the reports from the various portraits around the castle who had observed Sirius Black after he'd left the office. He mentally cursed Sirius for being so careful, he hadn't even hinted where Harry might be. The only thing he really confirmed was the fact that Bill Weasley knew much more than he was letting on.

His gaze fell on the remnants of Hufflepuff's cup. At least they had found another Horcrux and that was quite a bonus. He was certain one of the remaining Horcruxes was made from an item of Ravenclaw's. Filius had narrowed the items down to Ravenclaw's golden quill that she had used to pen the blueprints of Hogwarts and her lost diadem. They were working on finding those two items.

Albus was rather angry at Sirius because he had intended for Harry to be much more involved in the hunt for the Horcruxes than he was turning out to be. How in Merlin's name was he going to get past Sirius to tell Harry he was the last Horcrux? The thought crossed Albus' mind that it was too bad Sirius had survived Bellatrix's attack. A grieving Harry would have been much easier to prod into doing the right thing.

With a sigh, he pushed that thought out of his mind. He'd had people in South Africa, but Sirius had covered his tracks well and had left no trace of their home base. That had been another blow to Albus' plan. He had hoped to use the OWLs to get Harry under his control, but now that Harry had taken his OWLs and was over the age of seventeen there was really nothing Albus could hold over them.

He cursed his luck, but he knew he'd made a colossal blunder when he accused Harry of murdering Umbridge. At the time, he'd worried about Voldemort's ability to access Harry's mind-apparently without Harry's knowledge. He'd realized instantly what Harry's dreams about the Department of Mysteries meant and it worried him. Ginny had fallen under Voldemort's thrall so easily before, so Albus thought it possible she had once again fallen under his sway. It would be like Voldemort to plant some sort of spell he could reawaken in the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets.

While he never mentioned that possibility to the Weasleys, Albus had kept a close eye on Ginny and her development while she was at school. He had been cautiously optimistic that she would be fine once Voldemort had been reborn and she'd shown no signs of being under his control. He had hoped to keep Harry and Ginny from becoming involved with one another. He felt it was just too dangerous. Albus wasn't sure if Ginny might perhaps weaken Harry. He also worried that in Ginny, Harry might find a reason to want to survive and he might be less willing to do the right thing.

When Albus heard about the expulsions he had feared Voldemort had finally gained control of both of them. He knew that Voldemort was strong enough to control multiple people if he chose to do so. Could Voldemort have tapped into Harry's anger at being expelled and encouraged the boy to do what he would not normally do? Albus knew enough about how Voldemort worked to know that he would often encourage others to do the unthinkable and then use that to reel them in. Dumbledore's biggest fear had always been that Voldemort would talk Harry over to his side. The two were much alike and if the correct pressure was applied, Albus was afraid Harry could be turned.

He stood by his decisions to recast the Fidelius Charms. If Voldemort gained access to either Grimmauld Place or the Burrow, he could have caused untold damage. Albus had hoped by limiting their options, the two would return to Hogwarts and ask for help. He hadn't counted on Harry's luck and ability to keep his head in a crisis.

With a sigh, Albus returned his focus to the upcoming school year. He and Minerva had gone round and round on the appointment of the Head Boy and Head Girl. Miss Granger was the obvious choice for Head Girl, but Albus hoped to appoint Draco Malfoy as Head Boy. He hoped it would influence the boy for the better. All of his teachers with the exception of Severus Snape were opposed to the choice.

Albus sincerely believed that Draco still had the option of choosing the right side, although no one else believed it. Minerva in particular had written a passionate letter outlining her objections to Draco Malfoy and endorsing her choices of either Ron Weasley or Anthony Goldstein as prefects who had supported their houses during this time of troubles. Mr Weasley in particular had matured in the year since his best mate and sister went missing. Shaking his head, Albus decided he would choose tomorrow.

* * *

Ginny couldn't believe it when she looked into the mirror. Fleur had somehow worked her magic with Ginny's hair and it was piled elegantly on top of her head and threaded with pearls. She wore a necklace of pearls and emeralds with matching earrings. Together she and Fleur had found a beautiful, short, lace covered dress. It had cap sleeves and a satin underdress with an overlay of handmade lace. As soon as she'd seen it, Ginny knew it was the right dress. She'd also found a pair of peep toe heels that paired with the dress perfectly.

"I look so…I don't know, grown up or something," Ginny said with a smile. "I half expect to see a scruffy tomboy in the mirror."

"You are a beautiful young woman," Fleur said with a smile.

Ginny smiled as she stepped back from the mirror. "Thank you, Fleur. I never would have known what to do without your help."

Fleur smiled back at her gently. "You are most welcome, ma soeur. I am so 'appy to be able to 'elp you."

The two girls headed out to the back garden where Bill was waiting at the door to greet them.

He gasped when he saw his sister. As she approached, she could see tears shining in his eyes. "Gin, sweetie, you look beautiful."

"Thank you," she whispered as he kissed her on the cheek.

He straightened up and looked her over. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Ginny beamed. "I am positive."

"Okay, beautiful."

Bill noticed his fiancée standing slightly behind his sister. At first he was afraid she might be upset at him for not noticing her right away, but as he met her eyes he realized he had nothing to fear. She kissed Ginny on the cheek one more time and kissed him as well. She handed Ginny her bouquet of roses, camellia, and lotus flowers.

"I will see you outside." Fleur said with a smile as she slipped out into the back garden.

A flash of light drew his attention briefly, but it was only Dobby taking pictures as he'd been bidden to do by his master. To Bill's surprise, Dobby had proven quite capable of taking good pictures.

Holding out his arm to his sister, he led her out the door. The back garden was decorated in an explosion of flowers, both English and Egyptian. Standing in front of the fountain were Harry and Sirius. Harry looked a bit nervous, but quite dapper in his dark suit and tie. Both men were wearing Muggle style suits at Ginny's request and they had a rose in the buttonholes. Sirius was teasing Harry gently, but all of that was forgotten when he caught sight of Ginny. Bill didn't think the younger wizard would have breathed if Sirius hadn't nudged him.

Solemnly, Bill walked his sister down the aisle to meet her future. Once he handed her over to Harry, he stepped back next to Fleur.

Ginny was lost in Harry's eyes as soon as she stepped into the garden. She knew he was her future and she knew without a doubt she was absolutely doing the right thing. She managed to smile at her brother, Charlie, who had insisted upon staying once he realized Ginny was planning to get married on her sixteenth birthday, but most of her attention was focused on Harry.

He smiled at her when she reached him. "You look amazing," he whispered.

"Thanks," she smiled up at him.

The two of them turned to face Clive, Bill's friend from the British consulate. He smiled at them and gently led them through their vows. For Ginny it was a dream come true as she became Mrs Harry Potter. The ceremony ended with a bonding ceremony. Not everyone did the bonding ceremony anymore, but for Ginny it just seemed right to bind their lives, their love, and their magic.

As Clive wrapped their hands in symbolic golden bonds of magic, a golden light followed the bonds wrapping them in a golden glow. Ginny gasped as she felt the warmth of Harry's love wash over her. She leaned up and kissed him deeply. After a moment the clapping of her brothers and Sirius broke through her daze. She pulled back and saw the same happy look on Harry's face that she was sure was plastered on hers.

"I love you," Harry whispered as he hugged her tightly.

"I love you," Ginny replied.

Sirius pulled both of them into a hug. "Congratulations." He leaned over and kissed Ginny on the cheek. "You look absolutely beautiful." Shooting a teasing glance at Harry he said, "I thought he was going to pass out when he caught sight of you."

Harry blushed, but didn't deny it. Bill, Fleur, and Charlie hugged them both in turn. Harry and Ginny posed for some pictures before sitting down to enjoy the feast Dobby had prepared for them.

Bill's friend from the British consulate, Clive, cleared his throat as he smiled at them. Clive had agreed to perform the ceremony and not file it until the end of the required thirty day period.

After enjoying the feast, Harry and Ginny headed back to Kenya. Sirius was worried about Harry being outside of the protections for such a long period of time, so he sent Harry and Ginny back to the house while he stayed in Egypt for a few more days to give them a few days to themselves.

* * *

Harry rather awkwardly watched as Ginny headed off to the bathroom to get changed. He pulled off his jacket and tie and laid them across the back of the chair and took off his shoes and socks, but he was too nervous to take off anything else. He really wasn't sure what to do. He knew what he wanted to be doing, but he really wasn't sure how to get there. Ever since Sirius had brought back the potion and book from Madam Pomfrey, sex – not just sex, but sex with Ginny – had pretty constantly been on Harry's mind. Not that it had been that far from his thoughts before that, but once he'd realized that it was maybe going to happen – soon…Harry stood to shake off his thoughts.

The wedding had been great, but Harry felt badly that Ginny wasn't able to have a huge party with all of her friends and family. Maybe once this was all over they could have a huge party and she could have everything she wanted. She said she didn't mind, but Harry was pretty sure she would have liked something more.

A smile crossed his face as he thought about how incredible she had looked walking towards him. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but today…just when he thought he was used to how beautiful she was, she looked even more beautiful.

A sound made him turn and for the second time that day he forgot to breathe. Ginny was standing in front of him in a white, pearl encrusted, lacy negligee. Her hair was loose, tumbling down past her shoulders and her feet were bare. She watched him slightly nervously, but with a smile on her face.

"Ginny," he finally managed to breathe. He walked over to her and reached out so he was holding both of her hands in his.

She smiled up at him for a moment before pulling one of her hands away and reaching up to pull him down for a kiss. He obliged and returned her kiss with growing passion. Pulling her close, he ran his hands down the silky, lacy thing she was wearing outlining her curves. He finally managed to find her soft, silky skin.

Somehow they made their way to the bed, though Harry was never quite sure how that happened. He felt her smaller hands pulling at his shirt and he helped her pull it off. It was quite a shock to him when he felt her hands on his bare chest. He looked down at her and for the third time that day he though he had never seen her look so amazingly beautiful.

Reverently, he helped her remove her negligee. He gathered her into his arms and found the feel of her skin against him incredibly enticing. He really wasn't sure exactly what he was doing and neither was she, but together they discovered what they needed to do. It wasn't perfect, but to the two of them it was amazing.

As Harry fell asleep that night with Ginny wrapped in his arms, his last thought before sleep took him was that this had been the most perfect night of his life.

* * *

Ron heard his mother calling for him and slowly put his Quidditch magazine aside. He headed downstairs, thinking once again how quiet the house was this summer. This summer was a little better than the previous one. He'd been working for Fred and George and had earned some pocket money for one thing. He and Hermione were best friends once again and he was even a bit hopeful that maybe someday they might be more than that.

Entering the kitchen, he was surprised to see Bill talking to his parents.

"Bill!"

"Ron, it's good to see you," Bill said with a smile as he hugged his youngest brother. Looking over at his parents and brother he said, "I'm sorry I've had to be so secretive, but I was wondering if you wanted to take a day trip to Egypt?"

"Egypt?" Arthur asked. "I'm not sure this is the best time to go for a visit."

"Can you get the day off?" Bill pushed.

Arthur exchanged a look with his wife. He did think she deserved a break from all of the stress. "Would it just be for today?"

"Maybe," Bill teased. He looked at everyone in the room. "I have several reasons for asking you to come. We recently were able to get into the hidden chamber in the Red Pyramid. Remember when I took you there? I was part of the team that opened it."

"Wait, isn't that the one that even Dumbledore couldn't open?" Ron asked with interest. "You opened it?"

Bill laughed. "No, I didn't personally open it. It was actually Harry who opened it."

"What?!"

"You were with him?" Molly asked. "What about your sister? My baby, is she okay?"

"How did he open it?" Ron asked at the same time.

"Fleur and I stayed with them while Sirius was here," Bill explained. "They are back at their base house now, but they will meet us in Cairo for the afternoon." He looked at his brother. "I'll let Harry tell you the story about he opened the Chamber himself."

"Can Hermione come?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Not this time," Bill said. "I want to get back as quickly as possible. As I'm sure you know the last time we had an excursion things didn't go well, so Sirius asked that I limit it to you three."

"That makes sense," Arthur spoke up. "So, what do we need to do?"

"If you are all ready, I have a Portkey," Bill explained.

Molly wanted to change and she insisted that Ron change his shirt, but fifteen minutes later they were on their way to Egypt. The Portkey landed them in the back garden of the villa he and Fleur had moved to after Harry and Ginny left.

Leading his parents and brother into the house, Bill reset all of the wards and double checked the house. He led them all into the sitting room. He started to leave the room, but before he could the sound of running footsteps sounded.

Ron was surprised that he could even recognize the footsteps as his sister's, but he could. He stood next to Bill, unsure of what he should do.

Luckily that decision was taken away from him when his sister burst into the room. Everyone just stared at each other for a minute. Ginny looked the same, but at the same time she looked very different. Ron wasn't sure exactly how to explain it. She was the same old Ginny with her long red hair and freckles, but she also looked much older than Ron remembered. To his shock, she was wearing a white and yellow dress, but the skirt was short and she was wearing high heels.

When did his little sister start wearing things like that? It reminded him of the girls he saw at the Muggle mall. His reverie was cut short as Ginny squealed, "Mum! Dad!"

He watched with a smile on his face as his sister flew over to his parents and hugged them tightly. As he watched his mum, he thought she'd never let Ginny go.

"Hi, mate."

Ron turned to see Harry standing next to him. "Harry!"

Reaching out, he pulled Harry into a hug and pounded him on the back. He pulled back and looked at his best mate. Harry was taller than he had been, not as tall as Ron, but he was taller and much more filled out. Ron could feel the layer of muscle when he hugged him. Harry's arms weren't huge, but his muscles were obvious. It wasn't just that, Harry's hair was longer and touched his collar. He wore an earring, but he wasn't wearing his glasses.

"Damn, mate," Ron said after a moment. "I don't know that I would have recognized you."

"Good," Harry laughed.

"Harry!"

Ron saw a look he couldn't identify flicker over Harry's face as he went to greet Ron's parents. He watched his mum and dad both hug Harry, but Harry seemed a bit cool towards them. Recalling the stories that had been in the paper, he didn't exactly blame him.

He was going to say something to Harry, he wasn't sure what, but he wanted to break the tension. Before he could even think of something to say, Ginny touched Harry on the shoulder. That was all it took. Ron watched in amazement as Harry relaxed and turned to look at Ginny. She didn't say anything out loud, but it was obvious to Ron they were having a conversation.

The outcome was obvious as Ginny laughed and leaned up and kissed him. That rather shocked Ron, his little sister just straight up kissed her boyfriend in front of her parents and brothers. He could see his mum wasn't exactly happy, but his father was a little harder to read. Glancing over at Bill, he could see Bill was totally accepting of Harry and Ginny's relationship.

"Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley," Harry said in a neutral tone.

"Harry, dear," Mrs Weasley began. "I am so sorry. I never meant to…" She trailed off as she faltered under Harry's cool gaze.

"You never meant to call me a murderer and tell Ginny she should escape me if she could?" Harry asked. "Why? Why would you think I would ever, ever hurt her? Did you really think we killed those people or I was holding her against her will?"

"Didn't they tell you it was my fault?" Ginny broke in.

"It wasn't your fault," Harry said immediately. Ron had to smile at how completely Harry backed her up.

She smiled over at him and reached out for his hand. Pulling him over to the smaller love seat, Ginny sat down with Harry next to her.

Her parents sat at the longer couch while her brothers were standing by the door. Bill pulled out two ottomans for him and Ron to sit on while Ginny began her story.

"I heard the snakes talking in Care of Magical Creatures," Ginny began. "Most of what I heard was hissing, but I distinctly heard them say 'hungry'. It completely freaked me out and I went to get Harry. I don't know exactly what I was thinking, I…I just knew he could make it better."

She smiled over at him and he returned her smile, squeezing her hand. She continued, "It turns out that I just remembered that one word, I didn't understand anything else."

"What do you mean you remembered that word?" Mrs Weasley asked a touch suspiciously.

Ginny shrugged. "How do you think I opened the Chamber of Secrets, Mum? I spoke Parseltongue. I'm not a 'speaker' like Harry, I don't consciously remember any words or know how to speak it, but for some reason I remembered that word. That should have been it, but Umbridge caught us and expelled us."

"We heard what happened after that," Mr Weasley said. "I'm very glad that you were able to find people to help you." He sent a look over at his wife before saying, "Is it true you lived in a Muggle house?"

The room exploded in laughter. Ginny giggled and went over to hug her father again. "I told Harry you would be so thrilled."

Ginny started telling her parents about their adventures. Harry ambled across the room and approached Ron. "Do you want to go outside?"

"Sure," Ron said. He followed his best mate out into the back garden. To Ron's surprise, Sirius followed them outside.

"Harry, are you okay?"

Harry smiled. "I'm fine, Dad. I just wanted to talk to Ron for a while. Ginny's filling her parents in on her adventures."

"Okay, call out if you need me," Sirius said as he headed back inside.

"Dad?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Harry laughed as he led the way over to seating area that had been set up in the back garden of the villa. "I asked him if he would be my dad and he agreed. Can you believe it?"

"That's great, mate," Ron said. He could easily believe that Sirius would do anything for Harry.

"It really has been. He's taken great care of us. Both me and Gin."

"So it seems to be going well with you and my sister."

Harry blushed and smiled. "She is amazing." He glanced at the house and asked, "Can you keep a secret for a few hours?"

Ron nodded and Harry blurted out, "We got married. Ginny and I did – on her birthday."

"Really?" Ron was rather shocked, but after seeing them together he could easily see that happening. "That's…brilliant. A bit shocking, but…hey that means we're really brothers now."

Harry smiled happily. "We are and Bill has been wonderful. He and Fleur, they just have been so helpful and supportive. Charlie was here for the wedding. I really wished that you could have been here, but…"

"Hey, I understand," Ron said.

"Thanks," Harry said. "Well, since you couldn't be there, Sirius stood up for me. It was really a small wedding. Fleur, Bill, Charlie, Sirius, and Bill's friend, Clive, were the only ones there. I really hope that someday we can have a huge party with all of your family and our friends."

"That sounds great," Ron said. He had a little trouble wrapping his head around the fact that Harry was married. If he was married that meant he was…Ron stopped that thought in its tracks. While he desperately wanted to know what it was like, he certainly wasn't going to ask about sex with his sister. Searching for a new topic, Ron said, "So how did you manage to open this chamber Bill was telling us about?"

The two boys spent the afternoon talking about all sorts of things. Harry told Ron about his opening the chamber and his adventures in the Muggle world. Ron told Harry all about his fights with Hermione and dating Susan. It took the boys hours to catch up, but they picked up their friendship right where it left off. In the late afternoon, Bill took his parents to see the cobra chamber and Ginny joined Harry and Ron in the garden.

Ron stood as she joined them and hugged his sister. "I can't believe how much I've missed you."

Looking pleased, Ginny kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. I've missed you too, all of you really."

"Congratulations," Ron offered. "I can't believe you're really married."

Ginny grinned and removed the glamour charm that was hiding her rings. Ron's eyes widened. "Wow, those are some rings." He slanted a glance over at his best mate. "Did you pick that out yourself?"

"I did," Harry said. Looking around the garden, he called out, "Dobby!"

Dobby appeared with a pop. "Yes, Harry Potter."

"Could you bring out our wedding album?"

Moments later, Dobby returned with the requested album. Harry and Ginny shared the pictures with Ron. He whistled when he saw the first picture of Ginny. "You look great, Ginny."

"Yes she does," Harry said proudly. He grinned at Ginny before he asked, "Did you thrill your dad with stories of how you managed Muggle appliances?"

Ginny giggled. "Yes, I did. He's so funny and so much the same. He was so excited to hear about us living in Muggles houses and going to Muggle schools. Even mum asked a few questions."

"Was she okay?" Harry asked cautiously.

Ginny shrugged. "She's Mum. She's worried about what people might say with us being gone so long together."

"She won't have to worry about that now, will she?"

It was Ron who answered, "Mum always worries, its just a matter of what she's worried about. Now she'll be worried about rumours that Ginny's pregnant."

"How bad have the rumours been?" Ginny asked cautiously.

Ron growled slightly. "They were really bad at first. Of course they speculated that you were pregnant, but the most popular one was that you'd lost your magic and had run away to America."

"What?" Harry was astounded.

Ginny shrugged. "I kind of expected that." She sighed before smiling at her brother. "So what is this I hear about Susan Bones?"

"What? How the hell did you hear about that?" Ron demanded as the tips of his ears turned red.

"Bill," Ginny answered as she cuddled up against Harry.

Ron blushed, but answered. "We dated for most of last year. We started spending time together over the summer and…well one thing led to another. We had fun, but it wasn't really anything serious. I dated Lavender for a few weeks, Merlin was that a mistake. She is really pretty, but she's not very smart."

Harry burst out laughing. "Seriously, Ron, please tell me it didn't take you six years to realize that. Even I realized that and I'm pretty much rubbish with girls."

"How can you say you're rubbish with girls?" Ron demanded. "You had a girlfriend before I did and you are married."

"I just got lucky," Harry said with a smile at Ginny.

Ron rolled his eyes, but blushed again as his sister asked about Hermione.

"She's good," he said with a slight smile. "She's been really worried about the two of you."

"So when are you going to ask her out?" Ginny challenged him.

Ron coloured and refused to meet her eyes. "I…I don't know. We've been getting along so well recently. Do I want to risk ruining everything by asking her out?"

"Yes!" Harry and Ginny replied in unison. Harry grinned at his wife before saying, "It is worth the risk. I went back and forth on asking Ginny out all spring. I was worried about what you would say and I was worried that she would say no, but once I finally asked her out…It's been great."

"I'll think about it," Ron allowed.

Taking pity on her brother, Ginny said, "So did Harry tell you how he opened the cobra chamber?"

As the sun was setting, Sirius called them in from the back garden. They joined the rest of the family for dinner. Harry had to laugh as Ron tried desperately to hide his reaction to Fleur.

As they sat down, Harry pulled Ginny aside. "Are you having fun?"

She nodded. "Thank you, love. I know you aren't happy with her, but she is my mother and I missed her."

He kissed her softly. "I know, baby. I would never try to come between you and your mother. I just…I'm just still upset and a bit hurt."

"I know," Ginny said as she hugged her husband. "I love you."

He grinned, "And that's what makes it all worth it."

Laughing, Ginny tugged him into joining the others at the table. It was groaning under the weight of the huge dinner Dobby had prepared. Harry took one look at the amount of food and started laughing.

"Dobby certainly doesn't do anything halfway, does he?"

Sirius smiled, "No, he doesn't."

* * *

Over dinner, Bill regaled them with tales about the cobra chamber. It was a fun, boisterous dinner. Ginny leaned back in her chair, happy to be with both her husband and her parents.

Dobby cleared the table and brought out several apple pies.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said. "The meal was great."

Dobby bowed. "You are welcome, Harry Potter, sir."

Harry was just starting to think that everything was going to work out well. He was still quite leery of Mrs Weasley, but he didn't want to cause issues for Ginny.

"So what are your plans?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"Plans?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"Yes, what are your plans?"

Ginny looked at Harry for support. "We are going to continue studying and preparing for whatever confrontation that may come with Voldemort."

"Why do you assume you are going to be involved in more confrontations with him?" Mrs Weasley asked. "You are only sixteen, you should not be worried about such things."

Harry looked at his mother-in-law in confusion. "I thought you knew the prophecy."

"I know there is a prophecy that says you are the one to defeat You-Know-Who," Mrs Weasley acknowledged. "I don't see what that has to do with Ginny. Wouldn't it make more sense for Ginny to come home?"

Bill and his father exchanged worried looks, but Ginny was already talking.

"No, Mum, it doesn't," Ginny said. "I'm safe where I am. Why would you want me to come back home?" She looked over at Sirius and Bill who were sitting next to each other. "You said it wasn't safe for me to go home, right?"

"Molly," Mr Weasley cut through the buzz of conversation. "I thought we agreed that while we might wish she was closer that she is much safer out of the country with Harry and Sirius?"

Mrs Weasley smiled. "I spoke with Albus a few days ago. He told me he could arrange for Ginny to return home. She would have to make a statement at the Ministry, but she would be with Kingsley and Tonks the entire time and Albus will act as her representative so he will be there as well. She will have to answer a few questions about what happened and I'm sure they'll have some questions about Harry, but then she will be free to go. She can return to Hogwarts and go back to school."

"What?" Ginny looked horrified. She couldn't believe her mother would go along with such a scheme, not to mention the fact that she could practically feel the waves of panic rolling off of Harry. Ignoring her mother for a minute, she wrapped her arms around her husband. "It's okay, baby. I'm not leaving you."

"Well, it's not up to you is it?" Mrs Weasley asked. "You seem to have forgotten, but you are only sixteen. You should be at school, not living with…them. Harry will be fine with his godfather and you will be with your family."

"Molly, I know you want her close to home, but do you really think she would be safe? How many times has our home been searched? Do you really think they would just let her answer a few questions and leave?" Mr Weasley started at his wife in confusion. "Where did all of this come from?"

Mrs Weasley glared at her husband a bit bewildered by his lack of support. "I spoke to Albus a few days ago. He told me he could make the arrangements."

"I'm not doing it, Mother," Ginny said angrily. "I'm much safer with Harry. Do you honestly think you can trust Tonks? I don't. I watched her hold the man I love under the Torture Curse and then turn him over to Voldemort. No way am I putting my safety in her hands."

Mrs Weasley seemed to realize her plan was not working out. "But why not, Ginny? Surely you miss school and you miss your friends. You told me earlier how you missed Laura and Colin."

"Yes, I miss my friends. Harry misses Ron and Hermione, but we can't go back when we have to go before the Wizengamot. Dumbledore isn't the Chief Warlock anymore, how can he guarantee what will happen? I'd be trussed up and shipped out to Voldemort. I can't imagine he and his Death Eaters are thrilled with me helping Harry to escape and all."

"But Albus seemed quite certain his plan would work," Mrs Weasley objected.

"Last year he was quite certain that Harry had murdered Umbridge," Sirius put in. "Are you unhappy with my watching out for Ginny? Is that what this is about?"

"In part," Mrs Weasley acknowledged. "I don't think a former convict is an appropriate guardian for anyone, much less my daughter."

"Actually, Mum, that's not an issue anymore," Ginny announced. "Harry and I are married."

There was a momentary silence and Mrs Weasley burst out, "What?! How can that be? You aren't old enough."

"In Egypt, you only need to be sixteen," Ginny said a touch smugly. "Harry and I were married on my birthday."

"You knew about this?" She demanded of her oldest son.

"I knew," Bill said simply. "Fleur, Charlie and I were at the wedding."

Mr Weasley stood, cutting off all other conversation. "Harry, might I have a few words with you?"

Harry stood up. "Of course, sir." He caught his father's eyes and took comfort from the reassurance he saw there.

As he led his father-in-law to the small study at the end of the hallway, he could still hear Mrs Weasley's raised voice. He hoped that Ginny would be okay with her. Mr Weasley smiled at him. "Don't worry, son. I'm not here to yell at you."

Harry smiled slightly and relaxed a bit. "Thank you, sir. Mrs Weasley won't hurt Ginny will she?"

Arthur was initially angry that Harry would ask such a thing, but as he recalled Sirius' assertions that Harry was abused he realized that Harry was truly worried. "No, Harry. My wife gets upset and she will yell, but I promise she won't touch Ginny."

Harry looked a little uncertain, but sat down near the fireplace. "I'm sorry we couldn't tell you what we were planning before we got married. At the beginning of the summer we were hoping to see you earlier, but after Tonks…" Harry paled slightly and trailed off.

He looked at the older man. "You heard about that, right?"

"Yes, Harry," Mr Weasley said gently. "I am so sorry for all you have gone through. First you were captured by Death Eaters and then Tonks was forced to betray you. It must have been awful."

Harry swallowed convulsively and nodded. "It's not been great. Ginny…Ginny's been great. You know she rescued me from the Death Eaters? She was…she was brilliant. I mean she snuck into their headquarters and stayed calm and rescued me. I wasn't in any shape to help her; she had to do it all. I can never, ever repay her for everything she's done for me. She's helped me with my nightmares and I've been able to help her with hers. She's just…she's perfect for me and I really can't imagine my life without her."

He smiled as he thought about his wife. "Sorry, I got a bit side tracked. After the incident with Tonks, my dad was really leery about meeting up with anyone else. I mean we don't think you would do anything to either of us, but…"

"I understand, Harry," Mr Weasley broke in gently. "Honestly, I do understand your need for caution and I can't fault you or Sirius for the care you've taken."

"Thank you," Harry breathed, grateful for Mr Weasley's acceptance. "We…well we first started looking for ways around the Trace. I didn't want Ginny to be caught because she was using magic. But that's not the only reason we married. We love each other, very much."

He paused for a moment trying to think of the best way to explain everything. He ran his fingers through his already messy hair. "I started falling for Ginny before we even left Hogwarts. We've been dating for over a year. She's…she's so amazing. She really understands what it's like to face Voldemort; she had to fight him for over a year. We really just work so well together."

Looking up at his father-in-law, he said, "I wish I could keep her safe and away from all of this. I hate to think of her being anywhere near Voldemort or his Death Eaters, but she is strong and she is a fighter. Sir, you have to know I would do anything to keep Ginny safe. I would die if it meant she would live."

"I believe you would," Mr Weasley said. "I can't pretend I didn't wish she was a little older or a little closer to us, but I know if there is anyone in the world I can trust my little girl with it is you. I can see how much she loves you. All afternoon, she would light up when she was talking about you. I am very proud to call you my son-in-law."

Harry nodded a bit uncertain if he should say something or not. Mr Weasley continued. "You will eventually have to make peace with Albus. I can't blame you for being angry with him or honestly with my wife, but I hope you don't hold onto your anger." He held up his hands when he thought Harry might say something. "No, I know you have a right to your anger, I just don't want you to…I don't want it to consume you. Albus is the leader of the Light, however he forgets he does not have all of the answers. Trust me, he will get an earful from me about this. He took advantage of Molly's desire to have Ginny close to her."

Mr Weasley stopped pacing in front of the fireplace and speared Harry with a look. "I would ask that I don't get any grandchildren from you for a while. My daughter is very young and she has her whole life ahead of her. I believe that the two of you can have a long and wonderful life, but please consider waiting before having children."

Harry blushed. "Yes, sir. I mean, we talked about it and I don't want to have any children before Voldemort is defeated. I know they would be a target and I don't want that. Mr Weasley, you have to believe I would never stop Ginny from doing anything she wants to do. We both need to finish school before we start a family and if Ginny wants to work, I will support anything she wants to do. She won't have to work if she doesn't want to. I've inherited more than enough from my parents to provide her with whatever she wants…I mean, what you can buy."

Mr Weasley smiled. Harry might not have been particularly eloquent, but he was obviously quite sincere in his love for Ginny. Arthur had also been impressed with Sirius. He knew he was going to get an earful about Sirius when they returned home, but Arthur could see the love between Harry and Sirius. He could see how Harry had blossomed with Sirius behind him.

"Good, I am very happy for the two of you." He held out his hand to Harry and when Harry shook his hand, Mr Weasley pulled him in for a hug. "Welcome to the family, son."

"Thank you, sir."

The two of them walked back to join the others who had moved into the sitting room. Harry was glad to see Ginny talking to Ron while Bill seemed to be trying to reason with his mother. Sirius was silently watching the family drama, keeping a close eye on Ginny. Harry nodded to his dad and walked over to his wife and slid his arm around her. "Everything, okay?"

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Other than me wanting to strangle my mother, I'm fine. I can't believe she pulled this. What did my Dad want? Is he upset?"

"Strangely, no," Harry said. "He seems to be supportive. He said he wished we weren't so young, but he said he was proud I was his son-in-law. He did say he hopes he won't see any grandchildren from us anytime soon."

Ginny blushed, but laughed. Harry looked over at his mother-in-law. "What did your mum say? Or do I want to know?"

"She's angry and upset," Ginny said with a sigh. "She…she just can't accept the fact that I am an adult. She started in on how I needed to be home and my hair and clothes are not acceptable."

Ron chuckled. "Well, come on, you knew that was coming, didn't you?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I was just hoping to avoid it."

"What's wrong with your hair and clothes?" Harry asked in confusion.

Ginny laughed. "Let's just say the things you like about my outfit are the things she hates. She thinks my dress is too short and my heels are too high. She doesn't like the fact that I am wearing makeup and she didn't bring me up to dress like that." She shrugged at his confusion. "She's always been like that. I don't know why. She would be perfectly happy for me to wear shapeless old robes without makeup. She doesn't think it's proper."

Ron could see the anxiety in Harry's face. "I think Bill is calming her down a bit. My mum always hates to be surprised. She actually has always thought you and Ginny would be good together, but she wanted to be able to observe your relationship. I think she's most upset that she wasn't at the wedding and wasn't able to plan it or anything. I mean she wasn't quite eighteen when she was married and she's never been against marrying young."

"She's mostly just worried," Ginny agreed. She squeezed her husband. "Don't worry, she will come around. Mum just likes to be in charge of everything and when she isn't she gets upset. Soon she'll be involved in planning Bill and Fleur's wedding and she'll be happy bossing everyone else around."

At the moment, Bill joined them. "She's calmer. You know what she's like."

"Yeah," Ginny and Ron replied in unison.

Harry couldn't help but smile. Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark blue velvet Gringott's money bag. He handed it to Harry. "This is for you. It's the reward for opening the cobra chamber."

Hefting the bag, Harry looked at Bill in shock. "This feels like a lot of gold."

"The reward for opening the tomb was last valued at 20,000 galleons," Bill said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, all of the team members received nice bonuses as well." He grinned. "Fleur and I have found a house near Tinworth and the bonus will make a wonderful down payment. You can also pick a piece of the treasure to claim as your own."

"That's great," Harry grinned. He handed the bag of gold to his wife. "You can figure out what you want to do with it." He glanced at his brother-in-law. "Remember those blue beads? I think you called them lapis lazuli. They were really pretty and I think Ginny would like them."

Bill nodded. "Consider it done, I will get them for you."

"I have an idea," Ginny said. "Would you be able to talk to Professor McGonagall about buying new school brooms? Harry and I were talking about it a while back. It's hard to learn how to fly on those raggedy old brooms. We could replace the lot of them with Cleansweeps or Nimbuses, which ever she thinks would be more appropriate. It can't be too high powered for the kids learning to fly, but I think Cleansweeps would be good."

Ron's eyes widened. His sister was handed a huge bag of money and the first thing she wanted to do was buy brooms for the school? He looked over at Harry wondering if he would be upset, but Harry was watching her with a proud smile on his face.

"That's a great idea, baby," Harry said.

"It is," Bill agreed. "I will go visit Professor McGonagall sometime this week."

"Good," Ginny smiled. "Please give her our best. I do wish we could go back to Hogwarts. I miss everyone."

"I will tell her," Bill promised.

Harry tightened his grip on his wife as Mr and Mrs Weasley approached them. Mrs Weasley didn't look happy, but she didn't seem quite as angry as she had been. "Ginny, Harry, I can't claim I'm happy about all of this. I still think you are too young, but I realize there is nothing we can do about it now." She turned to glare at Sirius who was now standing next to the young couple. "Please make sure you take good care of my daughter."

He nodded. "I promise you, I will take care of her."

Mrs Weasley huffed, but nodded. Turning back to look at her daughter, she said, "Please be careful, love. In a way, I'm glad you are far from the action, but I wish we could know where you are."

Mr Weasley hugged both Harry and Ginny. "Please take care of each other."

Reaching into the pocket of her robes, Mrs Weasley pulled out a beautifully wrapped present. She handed it to Ginny. "When Bill said we could see you, I wanted to bring you a birthday gift."

Ginny smiled in thanks and ripped open the box. It was a jewellery box. She carefully opened the box and found a beautiful silver and moonstone bracelet. Gasping, she reached for the bracelet. "Mum, Dad, it's beautiful."

Her father smiled. "It was my mum's and she wanted you to have it."

"It's wonderful," Ginny smiled as Harry helped her fasten it around her wrist. She held up her wrist and twisted it so the bracelet caught in the light. "Thank you."

She hugged both of her parents. Her mother handed her another gift. "I thought you would like this."

Ginny took the gift and as she started to unwrap it a blaring noise sounded. She looked up, startled as Sirius grabbed the gift out of her hand and threw it away from them. He looked at his son. "It was a Portkey."

Harry didn't bother to respond verbally. He reached out for Ginny's hand and Apparated away. Everyone slowly turned to look at Mrs Weasley with varying degrees of anger and astonishment. She looked shocked. "I didn't know it was a Portkey."

By this time Bill had his wand out and was examining the gift. It was a book and it did seem like something Ginny would like.

"Mum where did you get this?"

"Hogsmeade," she said shakily. "I bought it the day I went to see Albus."

"Dumbledore," Sirius growled.


End file.
